Tables and data

Convert CSV to tab-separated TSV

CovertonUpdated 2026-10-08

Save CSV as TSV when the receiving system requires tab-separated input. A file called CSV may use another delimiter, so inspect its headers and field boundaries before relying on the filename alone.

Open the tool →How to use this tool ↓

Convert CSV to TSV — This illustration explains the tool's workflow. It is not the processed result of an uploaded file.

How to use this tool

Choose files in CSV format. Maximum files per batch: 1.
Review Input encoding, Input delimiter, then start processing.
Download the TSV result and check its content and quality.

Choose the right settings

Choose the source encoding and delimiter, checking whether automatic detection matches the spreadsheet. The output uses tabs, allowing descriptions containing commas to remain individual fields in the new format.

Supported input: CSV
Output: TSV
Available settings: Input encoding
Input delimiter

Before you start

Establish the meaning of the input

Before converting or arranging data, identify what a row or value represents and keep a source copy. In tabular files, review headers, separators and text encoding; in structured files, inspect the required object or array shape. Identifiers, dates and amounts should not be interpreted solely from how a spreadsheet happens to display them.

Where the tool offers matching columns, type rules or output fields, choose them according to the destination’s requirements. Test a sample with a blank, a repeated value and a value containing punctuation. For labels, charts or personalized documents, check which column supplies each displayed value and whether the source units and wording are correct.

Define a few checks before processing: an identifier that must retain its spelling, a value with a known interpretation and an expected relationship between records. If the tool offers type conversion or matching rules, distinguish a source value from the program’s display of it. Test ambiguous dates or differently written keys before accepting a broad rule. Keep the chosen rules and destination requirements with the result; this makes a discrepancy traceable to input, interpretation or the requested transformation.

Verify values, structure and exceptions

Reopen or import the result using the destination’s settings. Compare headers, record counts and several values with the source, allowing for the operation you requested. A summary, split or duplicate-removal task can legitimately change the count; verify why it changed rather than expecting every transformation to keep identical rows.

Inspect any exception or validation report before continuing. If columns shift, characters are garbled or a key is not found, check delimiters, encoding and exact header spelling first. Encoding data does not encrypt it, and formatting a value does not confirm its meaning. For printed codes or labels, test the actual output before making the full set.

Example input and output

quoted CSV fields → tab-separated records

Examples describe the workflow. Results depend on the source file and settings.

Check the saved result before using it

Import with a tab delimiter in the destination program and compare headers and column counts. Inspect fields containing tabs or line breaks for accidental division into additional columns or rows.

If the result is different from what you expected

Different importers can interpret tabs and line breaks inside quoted cells differently. For garbled characters or shifted columns, review both the source-reading options and the receiving application's import settings.

Limits to keep in mind

Choose the source delimiter correctly. Tabs and line breaks inside field values need careful review.

Continue with a related tool

Convert CSV to JSON

The first CSV row supplies the keys for each data row's JSON object. Cell values are stored as strings, so inspect their types before passing the result to a system that expects numbers or boolean values.

Choose the source encoding and use automatic delimiter detection or select the actual delimiter. Resolve empty or duplicate headers and ensure each row has the same number of columns as the header.

Open the tool →

Convert JSON to CSV

This spreadsheet conversion requires an array whose entries are objects. Decide whether nested objects should become separate columns or remain JSON strings inside cells, because the resulting spreadsheet is read differently in each case.

Enable flattening to turn nested object properties into headers joined with dots. Arrays are not expanded into multiple rows, so review those cells separately if you intend to analyze each array item.