Read CSV and TSV Files as Plain Text
The Online CSV Reader is for seeing the file’s text directly. Open a CSV or TSV file to inspect its separators, quotation marks, and line breaks without turning the content into table columns. This view can help when an export looks unusual, an import is failing, or you want to check exactly how a record is written.
Unlike a table viewer, this page does not interpret the first line as headings or rearrange values into cells. It also does not validate or repair the file. The text stays read-only while you inspect it.
What to Look for in the Raw Text
In a CSV, commas commonly separate fields; in a TSV, tabs do. A quoted field can contain a comma or a line break without that character acting as a field or record separator. For example, "Portland, Oregon" is one value when the comma is inside the quotation marks. The Reader leaves these characters visible, which can make a delimiter or quoting issue easier to spot.
Line breaks in the text do not always equal the number of CSV records. A quoted value may span multiple physical lines, and the file’s final line break can affect the displayed line count. The summary shows the decoded text’s line count and the selected file’s byte size; use the line count as a text detail, not as a guaranteed record count.
Open, Copy, or Download the Text
- Choose Browse CSV File or drop a CSV or TSV file into the upload area. Files up to 50 MB are accepted.
- Read the contents in the plain-text panel. It is read-only, and long lines can be scrolled horizontally.
- Choose Copy file text to copy the decoded contents, or Download text copy to save them under the selected file’s name.
The copy and download contain the text the browser decoded from the file. The download is written as UTF-8 text, so a source file saved in a different character encoding may not be reproduced byte-for-byte. If preserving the original file exactly matters, keep the original file and use this page only to inspect it.
Choose a Table Viewer When You Need Structured Data
If you want to scan records in columns, search for a value, or sort by a heading, use the CSV Viewer. To see a small sample of rows before working with a larger export, use the CSV Preview Tool. The Online CSV Reader is the better fit when you need to inspect the original separators, quotes, and line breaks as text.
File Size and Privacy
CSV and TSV uploads are limited to 50 MB. The Reader loads the selected file as text in your browser, so larger files may take longer to open and require more available memory. The file contents are not sent to a server by this tool.
Questions About Reading CSV as Text
Does the Online CSV Reader show my file as a table?
No. It displays the decoded text with separators and line breaks visible. For rows and columns, use the CSV Viewer.
Can I open a TSV file?
Yes. The Reader accepts CSV and TSV files up to 50 MB and displays either one as plain text.
Why does the line count differ from the number of records?
The count is based on physical lines in the decoded text. A quoted field can contain a line break, so one CSV record may span more than one displayed line.
Can I change or fix the file in the Reader?
No. The text panel is read-only, and this page does not validate, repair, or reformat the data. Use the CSV Editor to change cell values.
Will the text download preserve the original encoding?
Not necessarily. The browser decodes the file as text, and the download is saved as UTF-8. If the original uses another encoding, some characters may differ.
Can I copy the contents or download a text copy?
Yes. Use Copy file text for the clipboard or Download text copy to save the decoded text under the selected file’s name.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The Reader processes the selected file in your browser and does not send its contents to a server.