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Convert Excel to CSV

By , GIS & remote-sensing practitioner · Reviewed

Convert Excel to CSV in the browser and get a clean, universal text file out of an .xlsx workbook. No spreadsheet program, no upload service; the workbook is read and rewritten on your own machine.

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KML, KMZ, SHP (.zip), GeoJSON, GPKG, GML, GPX, DXF, CSV, Excel, and more

No uploadNo trackingOpen standards (GDAL/OGR)Works offline once loaded

No Excel file to hand? Download a sample Excel file (100 points) and drop it above to see the conversion.

How to convert Excel to CSV

  1. Drop the .xlsx file into the box above.
  2. The first worksheet's rows and headers are read exactly as they appear in the file.
  3. Choose CSV and convert; the download is UTF-8 text that any program, script or database import will accept.

What changes when you convert Excel to CSV

Every format stores different things, so a conversion is never perfectly loss-free. Here is exactly what carries over when you convert Excel to CSV, and what to watch for.

WhatExcel → CSV
GeometryChangesPoint features become X and Y columns; lines and polygons are written to a WKT geometry column, so no shape is lost in the table.
AttributesKeptEvery column and full field name moves from Excel into CSV untouched.
Styling & labelsKeptNeither Excel nor CSV stores visual styling, so there is nothing to lose, the geometry and data carry straight over.
Coordinate systemChangesCSV stores raw coordinates without a CRS tag, so note the coordinate system separately for whoever opens the file.
Elevation (Z)KeptExcel is 2D, so there is no elevation to carry (add a Z/elevation column if you need one).
File structureKeptA single, self-contained .csv file you can move around on its own.

What your spreadsheet needs first

You do not need to be a GIS expert to convert Excel to CSV. Your sheet needs just two things: a column of latitudes and a column of longitudes, and the coordinates are kept as clean X/Y columns. Everything else, names, notes, dates, ID numbers, rides along as attributes on each point.

A correctly formatted Excel spreadsheet for mapping: a name column plus latitude and longitude columns in decimal degrees, one row per place
A mappable sheet: latitude and longitude columns in decimal degrees, one row per place.

The columns that matter

Store the coordinates as plain decimal degrees, like 33.6844 and 73.0479. If your values look like 33°41'04"N instead, convert them first with the coordinate converter. Excel to CSV works with .xlsx, .xls, .csv and Google Sheets exports, and if the wrong column is picked you can fix it from the dropdowns before converting.

Why convert Excel to CSV?

Excel workbooks are easy to edit, but many tools cannot read the binary .xlsx format directly. Also, scripts, databases and data pipelines usually expect plain text. So converting Excel to CSV flattens a sheet of coordinates or attributes into simple comma-separated rows. For example, a spreadsheet of survey points or an address list becomes a clean CSV that pandas, a database import, or a GIS coordinate importer can read. CSV opens almost anywhere, from a text editor to Google Sheets, which makes it the universal exchange format for tabular data.

Coordinate system handling

A spreadsheet has no coordinate system of its own. Excel rows are read as WGS84 longitude/latitude (EPSG:4326) unless you tell the tool otherwise. If your coordinates are projected, for example UTM eastings and northings in metres, pick the matching CRS before converting so the points land in the right place instead of near Null Island.

CSV stores raw coordinates without a CRS tag, so make a note of the coordinate system for whoever opens the file next. A quick CRS check before you download saves the classic "my Excel data is in the wrong place" surprise; the guide on coordinate systems and EPSG codes goes deeper.

What to check when converting Excel to CSV

Excel holds typed cells, multiple sheets and formulas, but a CSV is one flat sheet of text. So only the active sheet exports, and formulas become their computed values. Charts, formatting and extra sheets are dropped. Also, check that Excel did not reformat long coordinate numbers, since lost precision or a stray thousands separator will break the CSV when you map it.

Which software opens the result

Excel files typically come out of Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice, Google Sheets. Once you convert to CSV, the file opens in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc, and any script or database import. The CSV output follows the standard specification exactly, so those programs read it without any special import settings.

Troubleshooting Excel to CSV

About the formats

An Excel workbook is where a table usually gets built and edited: typed cells, several sheets, and maybe a formula column computing coordinates. CSV is the flat, single-sheet version that scripts and mapping tools read without fuss. Converting here lifts one sheet of values out of the workbook and writes plain rows. In practice you do this to feed a coordinate table into pandas, QGIS, or any tool that will not open an .xlsx workbook directly.

Frequently asked questions

Does Excel to CSV keep all my worksheets?

No. A CSV is a single flat table, so only one sheet is exported at a time. If your workbook has several sheets, convert each one separately to its own CSV file.

Will my formulas and formatting survive in the CSV?

Formulas are written as their computed values, and formatting such as colours, fonts and number styles is dropped. CSV stores plain text and numbers only, so keep the original .xlsx if you need the styling.

My workbook has several sheets. Which one becomes the CSV?

CSV holds a single table, so one sheet maps to one CSV. This converter reads the first sheet that contains usable rows. Move the sheet you want to the front, or split the extra tabs into their own files before converting.

Will my formulas and cell formatting carry over?

No. Only the computed value of each cell is written, and styling like colors, date display and number formats is dropped. For example, a formula returning a longitude exports as the plain number. Watch leading zeros too: a code like 0730 keeps its zero only if the column was stored as text in Excel.

What can open a CSV file after converting?

A CSV file opens in Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice and any database. Because the output follows the standard specification, any tool that supports CSV will read it without special settings.

Does converting Excel to CSV lose any data?

No conversion is perfectly loss-free because each format stores different things, but nothing important is lost: point coordinates become X/Y columns and any lines or polygons are saved as WKT text, so the geometry survives in the table.

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