Excel to CSV
Convert .xlsx or .xls files to clean UTF-8 CSV. Pick which sheet to export from a multi-sheet workbook and keep the rows and columns exactly as they are.
Doing it in Excel instead: How to convert Excel to CSV in Excel
By Operelio team · Updated October 30, 2026
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What it does
Converts an Excel workbook (.xlsx or .xls) into a standard CSV file. If your workbook has multiple sheets, you pick which one to export. The output is a UTF-8 CSV with the same rows and columns as the sheet you chose.
When to use it
Use this when you need a CSV for import into another system (a database, a CRM, a marketing tool) and your source data is in Excel format. Also useful if you want to work with the data in a text editor, pass it to a script, or feed it into another Operelio tool that works better with CSV.
How to use it
Upload your Excel file
Drag a .xlsx or .xls file into the upload area.
Pick a tab
Every tab in the workbook is listed with its row count, and the first one is picked. Pick the tab you want.
Check the preview
The preview shows the tab as the CSV will hold it, as a table or as the CSV text. Search it, or go to a row.
Convert
Click Convert to CSV. When the run finishes, download your CSV.
What to know
Operelio reads the calculated values from cells, not the underlying formulas. If a cell contains =A1+B1 and the result is 100, the CSV will contain 100.
The output is UTF-8 encoded CSV with comma delimiters. If a cell contains commas, the value is wrapped in quotes.
Trailing blank rows and trailing blank columns are trimmed. Blank cells in the middle of the data are kept as empty values so row alignment stays intact.
If the tab you pick has headers but no data rows, the page says so and the CSV has the header row only.
Row limits apply to every job: 2,000 on Free, 50,000 on Starter, 75,000 on Pro, 150,000 on Agency. If your file is larger, Operelio processes the first N rows up to your plan's limit, and the job's page notes your file's total row count, the limit that was applied, and the number of rows processed.
How your data is handled
Every cell type is converted to the format most CRMs, databases, and import tools expect. The examples below map what Operelio writes to the CSV for the cases that tend to trip up other converters.
| Excel cell | CSV output | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 01234 | 01234 | Leading zeros preserved on text-formatted ZIPs, SKUs, and codes. No silent strip to 1234. |
| 07123456789 | 07123456789 | UK mobiles and long numeric IDs stay as text. No scientific notation like 7.12E+09. |
| 2026-01-15 | 2026-01-15 | Dates export in ISO format, with no spurious 00:00:00 time component. |
| =A1+B1 (shows 45) | 45 | Formulas evaluate to their current value. No = prefix leaks into the CSV. |
| TRUE | TRUE | Booleans export as uppercase TRUE / FALSE, which is what machine readers expect. |
| café, über-friendly | "café, über-friendly" | UTF-8 preserves accents and non-Latin scripts. Commas in cell values are auto-quoted. |
If you open the exported CSV in Excel and see garbled accents, Excel is guessing the encoding wrong. Open it via Data > From Text/CSV and pick "65001: Unicode (UTF-8)" instead of double-clicking the file.
What the results show
When the job finishes, its page shows:
Rows and columns
How many rows and columns the CSV has.
The tab it read
For a workbook with more than one tab, a line names the tab, as in Converted the Deals tab to CSV, UTF-8 with commas. If the workbook has other tabs, a note says how many, and Run again opens the tool on the same file so you can convert another.
Your files
The tab you converted, as CSV, and your workbook with its tabs, each with its rows and the date it's kept until. Download either one. On Starter and up, you can also send the CSV to Files to keep it in your library.
Preview
Every row of the CSV, a page at a time, on every plan. Search it, or go to a row, before you download.
Convert an .xlsx or .xls workbook to clean CSV, picking the sheet you want.
Frequently asked questions
Does it keep formulas or formatting?
No. Formulas are resolved to their calculated values, and cell formatting (colors, bold, borders) is stripped. The CSV contains the raw data only.
Can I convert multiple sheets at once?
Not in a single job. Run one job per sheet, or combine the tabs into one sheet with Merge Files first and convert that.
What plan do I need?
Excel to CSV is available on all plans, including Free.
What happens to merged cells?
The value appears in the top-left cell of the merged range. Every other cell in the merge is blank in the CSV, which is how most CRMs expect the data.
What happens to blank rows and columns?
Trailing blank rows and trailing blank columns are trimmed. Blank cells in the middle of the data are kept as empty values so row alignment is preserved.
How long is my data kept on your servers?
Uploaded files and outputs are retained for 24 hours on Free, 30 days on Starter, 30 days on Pro, and 90 days on Agency. After that, they are permanently deleted from storage, unless you starred them in your library (Starter and above). On Starter and above you can also delete a file yourself at any time from Files.
Can I automate Excel to CSV via an API?
Yes, on the Pro and Agency plans. You get API access to upload files, trigger jobs, and download results programmatically. Pro includes 1,000 API calls per month and Agency 5,000, at 60 requests per minute. Uploads and runs count as calls; reads, like status checks, don't. An upload through the API can be at most 4.5 MB per request, whatever your plan's file size cap. Free and Starter use the web tool only.
Ready to get started?
Upload a file and run your first transformation. Free, no credit card required.