JSON to CSV Converter
Convert JSON files to CSV online for free. Arrays of objects become rows and columns, nested objects are flattened automatically. Opens in Excel, Google Sheets, or any text editor. Up to 100 MB.
Drop your JSON file hereTap to choose your JSON file
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How to Convert JSON to CSV
Upload
Drag and drop your JSON file into the converter above, or click Choose JSON File to browse your device.
Convert
Click Convert to CSV. Our server parses your JSON and maps it to comma-separated rows and columns. Takes a few seconds.
Download
Click Download CSV to save the converted file. Open it in Excel, Google Sheets, or any text editor. No registration required.
Convert JSON to CSV on Any Device
On Windows
While you could write a Python script or use PowerShell to parse JSON into CSV, both approaches require programming knowledge and manual handling of nested objects. Our online converter does it instantly — upload your JSON from any Windows browser, and download a ready-to-use CSV file that opens directly in Microsoft Excel, Notepad, or any data tool with all data properly mapped to rows and columns.
On Mac
macOS includes command-line tools like jq and Python, but chaining them together to produce clean CSV output requires scripting effort. Our online converter eliminates that friction — just upload your JSON file from Safari, Chrome, or Firefox on macOS and download a clean CSV. The file opens in Excel for Mac, Numbers, Google Sheets, or any text editor without any additional steps.
On Linux
Linux users often use command-line tools like jq piped into csvkit or custom awk scripts, but handling nested objects and special characters correctly requires careful escaping. Our online converter produces a properly formatted RFC 4180-compliant CSV file directly from your JSON. Works in any Linux browser — Firefox, Chrome, or Chromium — and the output opens in LibreOffice Calc or any text editor.
On Mobile
JSON files are nearly impossible to analyze on a phone or tablet without developer tools. Converting your JSON to CSV makes the data viewable in any mobile spreadsheet app or even a plain text viewer. Our converter works on iPhone, iPad, and Android — upload from your browser, convert, and open the CSV in Microsoft Excel mobile, Google Sheets, or Apple Numbers.
What is JSON?
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight, text-based data interchange format. It is the most widely used format for APIs, configuration files, and data exchange between web services. JSON is human-readable and easy to parse by machines, which has made it the de facto standard for data transfer on the web.
A JSON file can contain objects (key-value pairs enclosed in curly braces), arrays (ordered lists enclosed in square brackets), strings, numbers, booleans, and null values. The most common structure for tabular data is an array of objects, where each object represents a row and the keys represent column names.
The main limitation of JSON for data analysis is that it is not designed for spreadsheet-style work. You cannot sort, filter, create formulas, build charts, or perform calculations directly on JSON data. Converting JSON to CSV gives you a simple, flat format that can be imported into virtually any data tool, spreadsheet, or database.
What is CSV?
CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is one of the simplest and most universally supported data formats. A CSV file is plain text where each line represents a row of data and values within each row are separated by commas. The first row typically contains column headers. The format has been in use since the 1970s and remains a standard for data exchange.
CSV files can be opened in virtually any application: Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc, Apple Numbers, database tools, text editors, and every programming language. Because CSV is plain text, it is lightweight, fast to parse, and easy to inspect — you can open a CSV file in Notepad to see exactly what is inside.
The simplicity of CSV is both its strength and limitation. CSV supports only flat, tabular data — no nesting, no data types (everything is text), no formulas, and no formatting. However, this simplicity makes CSV the most portable data format available. If you need to move data between systems, CSV is almost always supported.
JSON vs CSV: Quick Comparison
| Feature | JSON | CSV |
|---|---|---|
| Format type | Structured data interchange | Flat tabular text |
| Structure | Hierarchical (objects, arrays, nesting) | Flat rows and columns |
| Nesting support | Native (unlimited depth) | Not supported |
| Human readability | Readable with indentation | Readable in text editors and spreadsheets |
| File size | Larger (keys repeated, braces, quotes) | Smaller (headers once, minimal overhead) |
| Spreadsheet support | Requires conversion or import tools | Opens directly in all spreadsheet apps |
| API usage | Universal web standard | Rare (used for bulk data export/import) |
| Data types | String, number, boolean, null, array, object | Everything is text (types inferred by app) |
| Schema / validation | JSON Schema available | No built-in schema |
| Parsing complexity | Requires JSON parser | Simple line-by-line split |
| Best for | APIs, config files, web services, nested data | Data analysis, database import, sharing, scripts |
Why Convert JSON to CSV?
Analyze data in Excel or Google Sheets
JSON is designed for machines and APIs, not for data analysis. To explore JSON data, you typically need Python, JavaScript, or other programming skills. Converting to CSV gives you a file that opens instantly in Excel or Google Sheets with proper rows and columns — ready for sorting, filtering, pivot tables, and formulas without writing a single line of code.
Import into databases
Most databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server) have built-in CSV import tools but limited or no native JSON import support. Converting your JSON data to CSV lets you use standard LOAD DATA INFILE, COPY FROM, or GUI import wizards to populate database tables quickly. CSV is the universal import format for relational databases.
Share with non-technical users
When you need to share API data, analytics exports, or database dumps with colleagues who do not write code, CSV is the simplest format everyone can open. Unlike JSON with its braces and brackets, CSV looks like a familiar spreadsheet. Recipients can open the file in Excel, Google Sheets, or even a text editor without any technical knowledge.
Simpler format for scripts and pipelines
CSV is the easiest format to process with shell scripts, awk, cut, sort, and other Unix tools. If your data pipeline receives JSON from an API but downstream tools expect flat tabular input, converting to CSV eliminates the need for JSON parsers. Many ETL tools, data science workflows, and legacy systems also prefer CSV as input.
Frequently Asked Questions
{"address": {"city": "London", "zip": "EC1A"}} becomes two CSV columns: "address.city" and "address.zip". This preserves the hierarchical relationship in a flat format that is easy to import into spreadsheets and databases. Deeply nested structures (3+ levels) are also supported — each level adds another dot-separated segment to the column name.
[{"name": "Alice", "age": 30}, {"name": "Bob", "age": 25}] produces a CSV with columns "name" and "age" and two data rows. If objects have different keys, all unique keys are collected and missing values are left as empty fields.
,) delimiter, following the RFC 4180 specification. This is the most universally supported format — it opens correctly in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc, Apple Numbers, and any programming language CSV parser. If your locale uses semicolons, most spreadsheet apps will auto-detect the comma delimiter on import.