How to Convert TSV to CSV (and CSV to TSV)
The quick answer: a TSV file is just a CSV that uses tabs instead of commas between fields. To convert one to the other you swap the delimiter and adjust the quoting — drop the file into our CSV ⇆ TSV converter, pick Comma (for CSV) or Tab (for TSV), and download. It runs entirely in your browser and quotes any field that contains the new delimiter, so no column ever shifts.
What a TSV file actually is
A TSV (tab-separated values) file is a plain-text table: one record per line, with a tab character marking the boundary between fields. It is the exact same concept as a CSV, which uses a comma. The only meaningful difference is the separator — and that one choice has a knock-on effect on escaping. Commas appear all the time inside real data ("Smith, Jr.", 1,299.00, street addresses), so CSV needs quoting rules to keep those commas from being read as column breaks. Tabs almost never occur inside a value, so a TSV usually needs no quoting at all. That simplicity is why TSV is common in data-science, machine-learning and bioinformatics workflows, where formats like BED and GFF are tab-delimited.
TSV vs CSV at a glance
| CSV | TSV | |
|---|---|---|
| Field separator | Comma , | Tab |
| Needs quoting? | Often (commas in data) | Rarely |
| How embedded separators are handled | Wrap the field in "…" (RFC 4180) | Tabs/newlines disallowed in data, or replaced |
| Typical home | Marketplaces, CRMs, analytics, ad platforms | Data science, ML datasets, Unix pipelines |
| File extension | .csv | .tsv (sometimes .txt) |
Convert without breaking anything
Converting is lossless for your values — a barcode stays a barcode and a leading zero stays a leading zero; only the separator changes. The one thing to get right is quoting at the boundary between the two formats:
- TSV → CSV: if a field contains a comma, it must be wrapped in double quotes in the CSV, or that comma will look like a new column. A good converter does this for you.
- CSV → TSV: the comma quoting is stripped and tabs become the separator. If a value somehow contains a tab (rare), it needs handling so it doesn’t split.
Convert it in your browser
Drop the file in, choose your output delimiter, and download — the input delimiter is detected automatically, quoting is applied where needed, and nothing is uploaded anywhere.
Open the CSV ⇆ TSV converter →If the file was already damaged by Excel before you got to it — numbers showing as 1.23E+12, ZIP codes missing their zeros — convert won’t undo that. Repair it first with the main CSV repair tool, then convert the clean file.
Doing it in Excel
Excel can read a .tsv directly — it detects the tab and splits the columns — and it can write one via File → Save As → Text (Tab delimited) (*.txt), which you then rename to .tsv. But the same warning applies as for any CSV: double-clicking the file lets Excel guess every cell type and quietly damage identifier columns. If your data has barcodes, SKUs or ZIP codes, import through Data → From Text/CSV with those columns set to Text — the method in our guide to opening a CSV in Excel without breaking it. For the bigger picture on plain-text tables versus workbooks, see CSV vs Excel (.xlsx), or browse all guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is a TSV file?
A TSV (tab-separated values) file is a plain-text table with one row per line and a tab character between fields — the same idea as a CSV but with tabs instead of commas. Because tabs rarely appear inside real data, TSV files seldom need the quotes CSV uses to protect embedded commas.
How do I convert a TSV to CSV?
Use the CSV ⇆ TSV converter: drop the .tsv file in, choose Comma as the output delimiter, and click Convert & Download. Any field containing a comma is quoted automatically so the columns stay aligned, and everything runs in your browser.
Can Excel open a TSV file?
Yes — Excel recognises the tab delimiter and splits a .tsv into columns. The catch is the same as with CSV: double-clicking lets Excel guess cell types and it may strip leading zeros or show long numbers in scientific notation. Import through Data → From Text/CSV with identifier columns set to Text to avoid that.
Is TSV better than CSV?
Neither is better overall. TSV is simpler to parse because tabs rarely collide with data, so it is popular in data-science and bioinformatics pipelines. CSV is the near-universal default for business apps, marketplaces and analytics tools. Use whichever the receiving system expects.
Sources: the practical differences between the two formats are summarised well in eBay’s comparing TSV and CSV documentation; CSV’s quoting rules are defined in RFC 4180.