How to Convert XLSX to CSV:
6 Proven Methods

XLSX vs CSV: What Changes

Before converting, understand what CSV preserves and what it drops:

If you only need the raw data — for database import, data analysis, or cross-platform sharing — CSV is the right choice. If you need to preserve formatting, formulas, or multiple sheets, keep the XLSX format.

Method 1: Online Converter (Convertio)

The fastest method. No software to install, works on any device with a browser.

1. Go to convertio.com/xlsx-to-csv
2. Click Choose XLSX File or drag and drop your spreadsheet
3. Click Convert
4. Download the resulting CSV file

Method 2: Microsoft Excel

If you already have Excel installed, you can export directly:

1. Open the .xlsx file in Excel
2. If the workbook has multiple sheets, click the sheet tab you want to export
3. Go to File → Save As (or File → Save a Copy in newer versions)
4. In the “Save as type” dropdown, select CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv)
5. Choose your save location and click Save
6. Excel will warn that some features are not compatible with CSV — click Yes to continue

Excel offers several CSV variants in the Save As dialog:

Method 3: Google Sheets

Free and available on any platform with a browser:

1. Open sheets.google.com and upload your XLSX file (File → Open → Upload)
2. Google Sheets imports the workbook and preserves most formatting visually
3. Select the sheet tab you want to export
4. Go to File → Download → Comma Separated Values (.csv)
5. The current sheet downloads as a .csv file

Google Sheets always exports CSV in UTF-8 encoding, which is the safest choice for international data. The delimiter is always a comma regardless of your locale settings.

Method 4: LibreOffice Calc

LibreOffice is free, open-source, and available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It gives you the most control over CSV export settings.

1. Open the .xlsx file in LibreOffice Calc
2. Go to File → Save As
3. Select Text CSV (.csv) as the format
4. Click Use Text CSV Format when prompted
5. In the export dialog, configure:
   • Character set: Unicode (UTF-8)
   • Field delimiter: comma , (or semicolon, tab)
   • Text delimiter: double-quote "
6. Click OK

Batch Conversion via Command Line

LibreOffice supports headless (no GUI) mode, making it ideal for batch processing:

# Convert a single file
libreoffice --headless --convert-to csv report.xlsx

# Convert all XLSX files in current directory
libreoffice --headless --convert-to csv *.xlsx

# Specify output directory
libreoffice --headless --convert-to csv --outdir ./csv-output/ *.xlsx

Method 5: Python (pandas)

Python with the pandas library is the best option for automated, repeatable, or batch conversions. It handles multi-sheet workbooks, encoding, and custom delimiters natively.

Basic Conversion

import pandas as pd

# Read the first sheet and save as CSV
df = pd.read_excel("report.xlsx")
df.to_csv("report.csv", index=False, encoding="utf-8-sig")

Convert All Sheets to Separate CSV Files

import pandas as pd

xlsx = pd.ExcelFile("workbook.xlsx")

for sheet_name in xlsx.sheet_names:
    df = pd.read_excel(xlsx, sheet_name=sheet_name)
    filename = f"{sheet_name}.csv"
    df.to_csv(filename, index=False, encoding="utf-8-sig")
    print(f"Saved {filename}")

Batch Convert Multiple XLSX Files

import pandas as pd
from pathlib import Path

for xlsx_file in Path(".").glob("*.xlsx"):
    df = pd.read_excel(xlsx_file)
    csv_file = xlsx_file.with_suffix(".csv")
    df.to_csv(csv_file, index=False, encoding="utf-8-sig")
    print(f"{xlsx_file} → {csv_file}")

Method 6: Command Line Tools

For server environments, CI/CD pipelines, or scripted workflows where you cannot open a GUI.

ssconvert (Gnumeric)

A lightweight command-line spreadsheet converter included with Gnumeric:

# Install on Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install gnumeric

# Convert single file
ssconvert report.xlsx report.csv

# Export all sheets (creates report.csv.0, report.csv.1, etc.)
ssconvert -S report.xlsx report.csv

# Batch convert all XLSX files
for f in *.xlsx; do ssconvert "$f" "${f%.xlsx}.csv"; done

csvkit (in2csv)

A Python-based toolkit specifically designed for CSV operations:

# Install
pip install csvkit

# Convert (first sheet by default)
in2csv report.xlsx > report.csv

# Specify a sheet by name
in2csv --sheet "Sales Q4" report.xlsx > sales-q4.csv

# List all sheet names
in2csv --names report.xlsx

Common Issues and How to Fix Them

Encoding Problems (Garbled Characters)

The most common issue. Accented characters (é, ü, ñ), CJK text, or symbols like € appear as é, ???, or other garbled text.

Root cause: The CSV was saved in one encoding but opened in another. Excel on Windows defaults to the local codepage (e.g., Windows-1252 for Western European), not UTF-8.

Solution:

• Always save as UTF-8 with BOM (byte order mark). The BOM signals to Excel and other applications that the file is UTF-8.
• In Python: use encoding="utf-8-sig" (UTF-8 with BOM) instead of encoding="utf-8"
• When opening a CSV in Excel: use Data → From Text/CSV import wizard, which lets you select the encoding before importing

Delimiter Mismatches

Some European locales use semicolons (;) instead of commas as the CSV delimiter, because commas are used as decimal separators in those locales (e.g., 1.234,56 in German).

Symptoms: All data appears in a single column when opened in Excel, or numeric values are split across columns.

Solution:

• Check your system locale: Windows users in German, French, or Italian locales may need semicolons
• In Python: df.to_csv("file.csv", sep=";") for semicolon-delimited output
• In LibreOffice: set the field delimiter explicitly during export
• When importing: use the text import wizard and specify the correct delimiter

Multi-Sheet Workbooks

CSV format supports exactly one sheet per file. When converting a multi-sheet XLSX workbook, most tools export only the first (active) sheet.

Solution:

• Export each sheet separately using the Python multi-sheet script above
• Use ssconvert -S which automatically creates numbered CSV files for each sheet
• In Excel or Google Sheets, manually switch tabs and export each one

Date and Number Formatting

Dates and numbers can change when converting to CSV because CSV has no concept of data types. A date like 2026-03-24 might become 46108 (Excel serial number) or 3/24/2026 (locale-dependent format).

Solution:

• Format date columns as text in the desired format before exporting (e.g., YYYY-MM-DD for ISO 8601)
• In Python: df.to_csv(..., date_format="%Y-%m-%d")
• For numbers, remove thousands separators and ensure consistent decimal format

Which Method Should You Use?