Convert to TSV

Convert CSV, INI, JSON, NDJSON, TOML, XML, or YAML to tab-separated values. Paste the source or open a local file, then choose whether to include column headers. The conversion runs in your browser and does not upload the input.

How conversion works

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Each non-empty NDJSON line becomes a row. Object keys become columns in first-seen order. Missing properties produce empty fields, and nested objects or arrays remain as JSON text in one field. Invalid JSON stops the conversion and reports the line number.

CSV rows keep their order and become tab-separated rows. The parser respects quoted CSV fields, so a comma inside quotes remains part of the value. It does not add or remove the CSV header row.

JSON and YAML arrays become rows. Keys found across their objects become columns in first-seen order. Missing properties produce empty fields, while nested objects and arrays stay in one field as JSON text.

Each INI section becomes a row. The first column is named section, and values outside a section use global. For XML input, select the repeated element that represents a row. Its child element names become columns, and the attributes key determines where the parser stores XML attributes.

The header option applies to INI, JSON, XML, and YAML input. Invalid source data produces an error instead of partial TSV.

What TSV can represent

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TSV stores a table as plain text. Each line is a row and a tab character separates its fields. Files usually use the .tsv extension and the media type text/tab-separated-values.

name	age	city
John	25	Rotterdam
Jane	30	The Hague

This converter puts a field in double quotes when it contains a tab, double quote, or line break. It writes a double quote inside a quoted field twice. TSV has no single widely used specification, and some programs use different escape rules. Check the import settings of the receiving program.

TSV dialects and compatibility

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Tabs reduce one common CSV problem because ordinary prose contains more commas than tabs. They do not remove ambiguity altogether. Programs disagree about quoting, literal tabs inside a field, embedded line breaks, empty final fields, and character encoding. Some readers treat quotes as ordinary characters instead of applying CSV-style escaping.

Test the output in the program that will consume it, especially when values can contain tabs or line breaks. Also make sure the importer recognises UTF-8. A TSV file can look correct in a text editor while an import wizard applies the wrong encoding or assumes that the first row contains data rather than headers.

Where TSV works well

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TSV is useful for exchanging one rectangular table between spreadsheets, databases, command-line tools, and analytics systems. It is often easier than comma-separated CSV when fields contain punctuation-heavy prose. Like CSV, it remains a table rather than a general structured-data format.

What may be lost

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TSV has no standard type information. Each field remains text until another program interprets it. Spreadsheet software may change dates, large integers, and values with leading zeroes when it opens the result.

TSV also has no native nested objects, attributes, comments, schemas, or relationships between tables. Rows with different shapes share one set of columns. Missing values become empty fields, so the result may no longer distinguish an empty string from null or an absent value.

The converter reads the complete input and output into memory. It suits ordinary local files, not multi-gigabyte exports.

Files, privacy, and saved work

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Select a file or drop it on the file control. A recognised extension selects the matching input type. The browser reads the file locally with FileReader and does not upload it.

The selected format, each format’s input, parser settings, and the TSV header setting are stored in localStorage. Switching formats does not overwrite text saved for another format. Clear the fields or site data after handling sensitive information on a shared device.

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