Reverse: CSV to text

CSV to Text Converter

Turn a CSV file into readable text or another delimited format. Paste or upload your CSV and export plain text, tab-, pipe-, space- or fixed-width text — with a live preview and one-click copy or download.

FreeNo sign-upRuns in your browserExcel-friendly
CSV to Text Converter
Paste or upload text to convert.
Input — paste or upload
Drag a file here, or browse (.txt, .csv, .tsv, .json)
Output
Input is
Input delimiter
Column widths
Output as
Custom delimiter
Plain text style
Quoting
Line ending

A live table preview of your data appears here.

Paste or upload a CSV above; the output is set to readable plain text — switch formats anytime.

Advertisement
What it does

Convert CSV into text

Sometimes you need the opposite of a CSV maker: a way to convert CSV to text for an email, an editor, a legacy import or simply easier reading. This tool takes your CSV and rewrites it as plain text or any delimited format you choose.

Paste the CSV or upload a .csv file. It is parsed in your browser using proper CSV rules — quoted fields, embedded commas and line breaks are all handled — then re-serialized into the text format you pick. A live preview shows the table so you can confirm nothing shifted.

Looking for a specific text format? Jump to CSV to TXT, CSV to plain text, or CSV to delimited text for tab, pipe and fixed-width output.

Step by step

How to use it

Paste or upload

Add your text or drop a file — it is read locally in your browser, never uploaded.

Preview & adjust

Check the live table and the row / column counts, then tweak the delimiter or options if a column looks off.

Copy or download

Grab the result with Copy or Download. You can reopen recent conversions from this device too.

Example

Input and output example

CSV is flattened into readable plain text, one row per line.

Input
name,city
Ada,NY
Lin,LA
Output
name city
Ada NY
Lin LA
Details

Choosing how the text comes out

“Text” can mean several things — pick the one your next step expects.

Plain, readable text

The default Plain text output joins each row into a line. Choose row per line for a compact list, one cell per line to stack every value, or space-joined for a simple aligned look. This is the right choice for pasting into a message or document.

Tab, pipe, space or semicolon text

If another system expects a specific separator, set the output to TSV (tabs), pipe, space or semicolon. These keep the table structure but swap commas for the delimiter the destination understands.

Fixed-width text

For mainframe feeds and old report formats, choose Fixed width. Every column is padded to the width of its longest value so the data lines up in a monospaced view.

Keeping encoding and quotes correct

UTF-8 is preserved, so accented and non-Latin characters survive the round trip. If your CSV used quotes to protect commas, those values are unwrapped correctly and re-quoted only when the new format needs it.

Good to know

Tips and edge cases

  • Use Swap to flip back to text-to-CSV without leaving the page.
  • Need a downloadable .txt specifically? Use CSV to TXT.
  • Converting many CSVs to text? The same options apply — reach out via the batch tool pattern for files.
FAQ

CSV to Text Converter — FAQ

Will I lose columns when converting CSV to text?

No. The structure is preserved; you simply choose how columns are separated in the output (plain, tab, pipe, space or fixed width).

Can I control the delimiter in the text output?

Yes. Pick TSV, pipe, space, semicolon or a custom delimiter, or use plain text for a delimiter-free list.

How is encoding handled?

Text is treated as UTF-8, so accents and CJK characters are kept. Enable UTF-8 BOM if the result will be opened in Excel.

Is my CSV uploaded anywhere?

No. Parsing and conversion run entirely in your browser.