CSV viewer online

How to preview CSV data

1. Paste your CSV, semicolon-separated, or tab-separated data into the box.
2. Choose the matching delimiter.
3. Check whether the first row is a header row.
4. Click View as table.
5. Check the row and column count in the summary, and note if the preview was truncated for large files.

For performance, the table preview shows the first 200 rows. All rows are still parsed and counted in the summary even if the visible table is truncated.

What this does and how it works

This tool parses your pasted text as delimited data, correctly handling quoted fields that contain the delimiter itself (like a comma inside a quoted address field) and escaped double quotes within a quoted field, following the common CSV quoting convention. The parsed rows and columns are then rendered as an HTML table, with the first row optionally styled as a header. This lets you sanity-check CSV data — like an export from a spreadsheet or database — without opening a separate program.

Best practices

• Match the delimiter to your actual data. Many exports from European locales use semicolons instead of commas because commas are used as decimal separators there.
• Check the row/column count against what you expect as a quick sanity check that the delimiter and header settings are correct.
• For very large files, work with a sample first since the visible preview is capped at 200 rows for performance.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using the wrong delimiter, which produces a table with one giant column instead of the expected structure — if that happens, try a different delimiter option.
• Assuming quoted fields with commas will break the parser. They won't, as long as they're properly quoted; the parser understands standard CSV quoting.
• Forgetting to toggle the header-row setting, which changes whether the first row is styled as column headers or shown as a regular data row.

Real-world use cases

• Quickly checking an exported CSV file's structure without opening Excel or Google Sheets.
• Verifying a CSV before importing it into another system, catching delimiter or quoting problems early.
• Reviewing a small dataset pasted from an email or ticket to understand its shape.
• Debugging a CSV export from code that isn't parsing correctly elsewhere.

Limitations

The visible table preview is capped at 200 rows for performance, though the row and column counts in the summary reflect the full parsed data. This tool previews data only; it does not edit, sort, filter, or export the table, and it does not detect column data types (numbers, dates) — everything is shown as text.

Privacy

CSV data you paste is processed locally in your browser. It is not sent to a server, logged, or stored. See the privacy policy for the site's full data handling approach.

Troubleshooting

• If the table shows one column instead of several, try a different delimiter setting.
• If a field with a comma inside looks split into two columns, make sure that field is wrapped in double quotes in your source data.
• If large data feels slow, work with a smaller sample; the preview itself is capped at 200 rows regardless.

Conclusion

Use this tool for a fast, no-install preview of CSV or delimited data. To sort the raw text lines instead of viewing as a table, see sort text lines.