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TabularHow to Convert CSV to Excel (XLSX) — and Back
3 methods — browser tool, Excel, and Python
CSV and Excel (XLSX) are the two most common spreadsheet formats, but they're not interchangeable. CSV is plain text — no formatting, no formulas, no multiple sheets. XLSX preserves all of that. Here's how to convert between them.
Method 1: Using Tabular (browser, instant)
Upload a CSV and get an XLSX back, or the reverse — no Excel license needed.
- 1Go to the CSV ↔ XLSX Converter on Tabular.
- 2Upload your CSV file (to get XLSX) or your XLSX file (to get CSV).
- 3Click Run.
- 4Download the converted file.
When converting XLSX to CSV, Tabular uses the first sheet. If your workbook has multiple sheets, the others are not included in the output.
Method 2: Using Excel
The most direct method if you already have Excel installed.
- 1To convert CSV → XLSX: Open the CSV in Excel, then go to File > Save As, change the format to 'Excel Workbook (.xlsx)', and save.
- 2To convert XLSX → CSV: Open the file in Excel, go to File > Save As, choose 'CSV (Comma delimited) (.csv)', and save.
When saving XLSX as CSV, Excel will warn you that formatting and features will be lost. This is expected — CSV is plain text only.
Method 3: Using Python (pandas)
Best for batch conversions or automated pipelines.
- 1Install openpyxl alongside pandas: pip install pandas openpyxl
- 2Run the appropriate script below.
python
import pandas as pd
# CSV to XLSX
df = pd.read_csv("input.csv")
df.to_excel("output.xlsx", index=False)
# XLSX to CSV
df2 = pd.read_excel("input.xlsx", sheet_name=0)
df2.to_csv("output.csv", index=False)Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between CSV and XLSX?
CSV is a plain text format — just data, separated by commas. No formatting, no formulas, no multiple sheets. XLSX is Excel's binary format — it preserves cell formatting, formulas, charts, and multiple sheets. Use CSV for data interchange between systems; use XLSX when you need spreadsheet features or when sharing with people who use Excel.
Will my formulas be preserved when converting XLSX to CSV?
No. CSV stores values only, not formulas. When you convert XLSX to CSV, formula cells are replaced by their calculated values. The formula itself is lost.
My CSV has special characters that look wrong in Excel. How do I fix this?
This is an encoding issue. Excel defaults to Windows-1252 encoding when opening CSVs. To fix it in Excel: instead of double-clicking the file, go to Data > From Text/CSV and use the import wizard to specify UTF-8 encoding. Alternatively, use Tabular to convert to XLSX — it handles encoding automatically.
Can I convert multiple CSV files to XLSX at once?
With Tabular, you process one file at a time. For batch conversion, use the Python script above in a loop: for file in glob.glob('*.csv'): pd.read_csv(file).to_excel(file.replace('.csv', '.xlsx'), index=False)
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CSV ↔ XLSX — free