What is a CSV file?
CSV stands for Comma Separated Values. It is a simple text format used to store tabular data (numbers and text) in plain text. Each line of the file is a data record. Each record consists of one or more fields, separated by commas. CSVs are universally supported by business spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, and Google Sheets.
What is JSON?
JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation. It is a lightweight data-interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. JSON has become the global standard for transmitting data between web applications and servers.
Why convert CSV to JSON?
While business teams rely heavily on Excel and CSV files, developers build modern web applications using JSON. This tool acts as the perfect bridge, allowing you to instantly convert spreadsheet data exports into an array of objects ready for a database upload, an API request, or direct inclusion in your codebase.
Handling quoted CSV values
Real-world CSV data often contains commas *inside* a cell (e.g., an address like "London, UK"). Standard CSV exporters handle this by wrapping the cell in double quotes. A naive script using `split(",")` will break when it encounters these commas, resulting in corrupted JSON. Our converter uses a robust, standards-compliant parser that correctly interprets quoted fields, escaped quotes, and embedded line breaks.
Custom delimiters
Depending on your region (e.g. Europe) or export software, your "CSV" might actually use semicolons (`;`), tabs (`\t`), or pipes (`|`) instead of commas to separate values. Our tool allows you to easily switch delimiters or enter a custom one.
CSV values and JSON types
By default, all CSV values are text, so our converter turns them into JSON strings to ensure zero data loss (for example, keeping leading zeros on zip codes). If you enable the "Infer data types" option, the tool will automatically attempt to convert numbers and booleans into their native JSON types (`123` instead of `"123"`, and `true` instead of `"true"`).
Privacy
Your CSV data is processed locally in your browser and is not sent to WordTools Pro servers. All conversions happen securely on your own device.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is highly recommended. By default, the tool assumes the first row contains the column headers, mapping every subsequent row into perfectly formatted key-value pairs. If you uncheck this option, it will output a simple array of arrays instead.
Our standards-compliant parser handles this perfectly. As long as the field containing the comma is enclosed in double quotes (which is standard behavior when exporting from Excel or Google Sheets), the comma will be treated as part of the text, not a separator.
By default, no. All values remain strings to prevent data loss (like losing leading zeros). However, you can check the "Infer data types" box to automatically convert numeric text into JSON numbers.
Yes, you can click "Upload .csv" to load a file directly from your computer instead of copy-pasting.
You can easily change the delimiter using the controls above. We support commas, semicolons, tabs, pipes, and custom single characters.
No. The conversion happens entirely locally within your browser using JavaScript. Your data never leaves your device.
Yes, this tool is 100% free to use with no hidden limits.
To prevent your web browser from crashing or freezing, we limit the input to roughly 10 Megabytes of text.