Steps
- Open the free online converter - Drop your .csv file into the browser-based converter - it never leaves your device.
- Check the parsed columns - The converter detects the delimiter and splits your data into columns; review the preview to confirm it looks right.
- Download the .xlsx workbook - Get a real Excel workbook, ready to open, format, and save.
- Format sensitive columns - For codes with leading zeros (ZIP, SKU) or long IDs, set those columns to Text format in Excel so the values aren't altered.
Before You Start
- Opening a CSV directly with File > Open lets Excel guess types, which is where leading zeros vanish and dates flip. Converting first, then formatting, avoids that.
- CSVs can use commas, semicolons, or tabs as separators - the converter detects which.
- A .csv only holds one sheet of plain values; formulas, colors, and multiple sheets don't exist until you add them in Excel.
Alternative Methods
- Open directly in Excel - File > Open and pick the CSV. Quick, but Excel auto-detects types and can drop leading zeros or reformat dates.
- Data > From Text/CSV (import wizard) - The Get & Transform import lets you set each column's data type before loading - the safest manual route for messy CSVs.
- Save As inside Excel - Once the data looks right, File > Save As and choose Excel Workbook (*.xlsx) to keep formatting and formulas going forward.