Why are some of my cells still quoted?

Because they contain a tab or a line break. TSV has no standard way to hold either, so the quoting is carried over from CSV to keep the value intact. Only the cells that need it are quoted.

Will every TSV reader understand those quotes?

No, and that is worth knowing. Tools that split on tabs and nothing else — `cut`, `awk`, many quick scripts — will see the quotes as ordinary characters and split inside the cell. Spreadsheets generally handle them.

Does it read semicolon-separated files?

Yes. The input delimiter is detected from the file, so a European export separated by semicolons converts without any setting.

CSV to TSV — Commas Stop Splitting Columns

Convert a CSV table to tab-separated values. Commas inside your data stop being separators, so the columns land where you expect them.

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Delimiter

Swap: TSV → CSV

CSV input

TSV output

What this tool does

Every field is rewritten with a tab between columns instead of the input delimiter, which is detected from the file itself. A comma-separated export and a semicolon-separated one both convert without a setting to change.

Cells that needed quoting in the CSV only for containing a comma lose those quotes: a tab-separated file has no quarrel with a comma.

Where TSV runs out of room

TSV has no standard. There is no specification saying what a tab inside a value looks like, because in the common understanding a value simply cannot contain one — the tab is the delimiter and nothing else.

That leaves two honest options for such a cell: destroy the character, or keep the quoting. This tool keeps it, RFC 4180 style, and only for the cells that need it: a cell containing a tab or a line break comes out wrapped in quotes, with inner quotes doubled.

The value survives. The file, strictly, is no longer plain TSV.

What that means downstream

A reader that splits on tabs and nothing else — cut, awk, a quick shell pipeline — will treat the quotes as ordinary characters and split inside the cell. Spreadsheet importers generally recognise them.

So check the destination before relying on it. If the consumer is a shell pipeline and your data contains tabs, TSV is the wrong target format, and CSV was already the right one.

Private by design

Everything runs locally in your browser with JavaScript. Your data is never uploaded, which makes the tool safe for sensitive content, and it keeps working offline.

Frequently asked questions

Why are some of my cells still quoted?: Because they contain a tab or a line break. TSV has no standard way to hold either, so the quoting is carried over from CSV to keep the value intact. Only the cells that need it are quoted.
Will every TSV reader understand those quotes?: No, and that is worth knowing. Tools that split on tabs and nothing else — `cut`, `awk`, many quick scripts — will see the quotes as ordinary characters and split inside the cell. Spreadsheets generally handle them.
Does it read semicolon-separated files?: Yes. The input delimiter is detected from the file, so a European export separated by semicolons converts without any setting.