What happens to a workbook with several sheets?

Each visible sheet becomes its own CSV, named after the sheet, and the files are bundled into a single zip to download. A workbook with one sheet comes back as one CSV, with no zip. Hidden sheets are left out, and the result says how many; unhide a sheet in Excel to include it.

Do my formulas come across?

As their results. CSV is plain text with no formulas, so a cell that calculated a total is written as the result Excel saved with the file. A file saved by an app or script that never calculated it has no result to write: those cells come out empty, and the result says how many, so open and save it in Excel first. Charts, colours, column widths and multiple fonts are not part of a CSV and are left out — convert to PDF if you need to keep the look.

How are numbers, dates and text written?

As the sheet shows them: whole numbers without a trailing .0, other numbers to Excel's fifteen significant digits, dates as 2024-01-05 and dates with a time as 2024-01-05 14:30:00. A text cell beginning with =, +, - or @ is written with a leading apostrophe, so a spreadsheet opening the CSV shows it as text rather than running it as a formula; ordinary numbers such as -5 are left as they are.

Can I choose the separator?

Yes. The comma is used by default, which every tool understands. If you need a semicolon — common where the comma is the decimal point — or a tab, choose it under ‘Column separator’ in Advanced options. The file is written as UTF-8 so accented characters survive.

Is my file read or stored by anyone?

No. Conversion is fully automated, nothing is read by a person, and the file is deleted from our servers as soon as the job finishes. The result is deleted an hour later. See our privacy page for the full policy.

Is this converter free?

Yes. Every conversion on ConvertNicely is free to use, with no account and no watermark on the result. Everyone can run 50 jobs and upload 2 GB a day, with or without an account.

What happens to my files?

Your uploaded file is deleted from our servers the moment the conversion finishes, whether it succeeded or failed. The converted result is deleted automatically one hour later, and you can delete it yourself at any time with the Delete button.

Is there a file size limit?

Files up to 50 MB are accepted for this conversion. Larger limits apply to paid plans in future, but the free limit is generous enough for the overwhelming majority of CSV conversions.

Do I need to install anything?

No. ConvertNicely runs entirely in your browser and on our servers, so there is nothing to download or install. It works the same on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. The whole site is built mobile-first, so you can upload from your camera roll or files app, convert, and download the result without leaving your browser.

Free

Convert Excel to CSV

A lot of software wants a CSV, not an .xlsx: databases, analytics tools and bulk importers all read the plain-text table. This tool writes each sheet of your workbook out as its own CSV — values only, no formatting — so a multi-sheet workbook comes back as a tidy set of files in a zip.

Also known as: XLSX to CSV · XLS to CSV · Excel to CSV converter · Export Excel to CSV

Files up to 50 MBTypically under a minuteNeed CSV to Excel instead?

Drop your file hereor choose a file from your deviceExcel · up to 50 MB

Encrypted upload · deleted right after conversion

Your files are deleted automatically

Uploads are removed as soon as processing finishes, and converted files are deleted after 1 hour. Read our privacy policy.

How to convert Excel to CSV

Step 1
1. Add your Excel file
Drag your Excel file into the box, or choose it from your device. It can be up to 50 MB.
Step 2
2. Choose your settings
Adjust Column separator (Comma ( , )), or keep the starting values in brackets, which suit most files.
Step 3
3. Press Convert to CSV
The work happens on our servers, and you can follow its progress.
Step 4
4. Download your CSV files
A single file downloads as it is; several come together in a ZIP. Your upload is already deleted, and the result is deleted after one hour.

Worth knowing

CSV holds values, not formatting, formulas or charts, so those are dropped — a formula is written as the result saved in the file. Hidden sheets are left out. A workbook with several sheets produces several CSV files, delivered together as a zip.

Why convert Excel to CSV?

Importing a spreadsheet into a database or CRM that wants CSV
Feeding tabular data to a script or data pipeline
Splitting a multi-sheet workbook into one file per sheet
Handing over a dataset in a format anything can read

Excel vs CSV

Comparison of Excel and CSV
Property	Excel	CSV
Format	Excel .xlsx workbook	Plain CSV text
Sheets	Many in one file	One CSV each
Formulas	Live	Their calculated values
Best for	Working in Excel	Imports, scripts and databases

Frequently asked questions

Page updated 21 October 2026

All Document converters

Convert Excel to CSV

How to convert Excel to CSV

1. Add your Excel file

2. Choose your settings

3. Press Convert to CSV

4. Download your CSV files

Why convert Excel to CSV?

Excel vs CSV

Frequently asked questions

CSV to Excel

Excel to PDF

PDF to Excel

Word to PDF

Convert Excel to CSV

How to convert Excel to CSV

1. Add your Excel file

2. Choose your settings

3. Press Convert to CSV

4. Download your CSV files

Why convert Excel to CSV?

Excel vs CSV

Frequently asked questions

What happens to a workbook with several sheets?

Do my formulas come across?

How are numbers, dates and text written?

Can I choose the separator?

Is my file read or stored by anyone?

Is this converter free?

What happens to my files?

Is there a file size limit?

Do I need to install anything?

Does it work on a phone?

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