CSV Viewer
Open a CSV as a readable table in your browser, with automatic delimiter detection and copy-out as clean CSV or TSV. Nothing is uploaded.
Files and text stay in your browser and are never sent to a server. This tool displays CSV and copies it back out as TSV or tidied CSV; it is not a file editor, not a replacement for spreadsheet software, and it does not evaluate formulas. Values are shown as text exactly as they were typed.
Try another tool
Picked to go with this onePaste a CSV or open a local file and read it as an actual table instead of a wall of commas. The delimiter is detected for you and can be overridden, the first row can be treated as a header, and the result can be copied back out as clean CSV or as TSV for pasting straight into a spreadsheet. The file is read in your browser — nothing is uploaded — which makes it usable for an export you have not cleaned yet.
How to use this tool
- 01Paste the CSV, or load a fileA .csv or .txt file is read locally. Nothing is sent to a server.
- 02Check the delimiterIt is detected automatically. If every value lands in one column, switch it — European exports often use semicolons.
- 03Read it, then copy it outCopy as TSV to paste into a spreadsheet, or as tidied CSV to use elsewhere.
When is this useful?
- Checking an export before you use itSeeing the rows and columns as a grid makes a malformed file obvious in a way that raw text does not.
- Reading a CSV without a spreadsheetNo installed software, no account, and no waiting for a large application to open a small file.
- Getting data into a spreadsheet cleanlyCopying as TSV pastes into separate columns reliably, which raw CSV often does not.
Examples
- A comma-separated exportThree columns of names, cities and phone numbers render as a three-column table with the header row picked out, and the row and column counts confirm the file parsed as expected.
- A semicolon fileExports from spreadsheet software in much of Europe use semicolons. Detected automatically; if the preview shows one very wide column, switching the delimiter fixes it immediately.
Tips for a better result
- One column means the wrong delimiterIt is the single most common problem with CSV, and it fails quietly rather than loudly — the file still opens, it is just wrong.
- Copy as TSV for spreadsheetsTab-separated text pastes into columns far more reliably than comma-separated text, which many spreadsheets drop into a single cell.
Why CSV needs a viewer at all
CSV looks simple and behaves inconsistently. The delimiter varies by locale, quoting rules differ between the tools that produce it, a value containing the delimiter has to be quoted or the row silently gains a column, and none of that is visible when you open the file in a text editor. Rendering it as a grid surfaces the problems immediately: a row with the wrong number of cells, a header that is actually data, or a file that is semicolon-separated when you assumed commas. The row and column counts are shown for the same reason — they are the fastest check that the file parsed the way you expected.
What it does not do
This is a viewer, not a spreadsheet. It does not evaluate formulas, edit cells, or save changes back to a file. Values are shown as text exactly as they were typed, which is deliberate: a viewer that helpfully reformatted numbers or dates would be hiding the very thing you opened it to inspect. Very large files are truncated in the display for responsiveness, and the tool says so and still copies the full data when you export.
Where the file goes
Nowhere. Pasted text and opened files are handled entirely in the browser, with no upload and no storage, so a customer export or an unsanitised data dump can be inspected without it leaving your machine. Closing the tab discards everything.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open a CSV without Excel?
Paste it here or load the file, and it renders as a table in your browser. No installation and no account.
Why is everything in one column?
The delimiter does not match the file. Semicolon-separated exports are common outside the US and UK — switch the delimiter and the columns split.
Can I edit the data?
No. This is a viewer: it displays the file and copies it back out, but does not edit cells or evaluate formulas.
Is my file uploaded?
No. It is read in your browser and never sent to a server.
Why copy as TSV?
Tab-separated text pastes into spreadsheet columns reliably, whereas pasted CSV frequently lands in a single cell.