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How-To Guide

How to Convert XLSX to CSV

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is the lingua franca of data exchange — every database, API, BI tool, and data science library reads CSV natively. Converting XLSX to CSV strips the formatting and produces a clean, flat text file of your data. It's the essential step before importing spreadsheet data into MySQL, PostgreSQL, Pandas, or any external system.

Open XLSX to CSV Converter

Step-by-step instructions

  1. 1

    Upload your XLSX file

    Select your .xlsx or .xls file. If the spreadsheet has multiple sheets, the converter typically exports the first (active) sheet as CSV. Note which sheet contains the data you need.

    Go to converter
  2. 2

    Choose CSV as output format

    Select CSV. You may be able to choose the delimiter (comma, semicolon, tab) and encoding (UTF-8 with BOM for Windows Excel, plain UTF-8 for everywhere else).

  3. 3

    Download and inspect the CSV

    Open the CSV in a text editor to verify columns are correctly separated and special characters (accents, quotes in cell data) are properly escaped. Then import into your database or data tool.

Why convert XLSX to CSV?

XLSX is great for humans to look at in Excel; CSV is great for machines to read. Converting XLSX to CSV is the first step in virtually every data pipeline that starts with a spreadsheet.

Your files never leave your device

FormatDrop runs the conversion engine entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly. No file upload. No server. Nothing stored. You can verify this by opening DevTools → Network tab and watching: zero upload requests.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert a specific sheet from XLSX to CSV?
Online tools often export only the first sheet. In Excel: right-click the sheet tab → Move or Copy → create a copy, then save that copy as CSV. In Python: `import pandas as pd; pd.read_excel('input.xlsx', sheet_name='Sheet2').to_csv('output.csv', index=False)`.
Special characters are garbled in my CSV — how do I fix encoding?
Save CSV as UTF-8 with BOM for Excel compatibility: `pd.DataFrame.to_csv(..., encoding='utf-8-sig')`. Or without BOM for Linux/Mac tools: `encoding='utf-8'`. If you receive a garbled CSV, re-read it specifying the correct encoding: `pd.read_csv('file.csv', encoding='latin-1')`.
My XLSX has formulas — will CSV preserve them?
No. CSV stores only the current calculated values, not formulas. If you need the formula results, this is fine. If you need to recalculate formulas in the CSV, you'll need to recreate them in the destination system.
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