How do I open a .csv file?

On Windows use Microsoft Excel; on macOS use Numbers (built in); on Linux use LibreOffice Calc. A spreadsheet as plain text, one row per line — the universal data exchange format.

Can I convert a .csv file?

Yes. It is usually converted to .xlsx, .json, .tsv, .pdf or .parquet, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.

.csv files

.csv file

Comma-Separated Values

A spreadsheet as plain text, one row per line — the universal data exchange format.

What opens a .csv file

Windows: Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc, Notepad (built in), Visual Studio Code
macOS: Numbers (built in), Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc, TextEdit (built in)
Linux: LibreOffice Calc, Text Editor (built in), Gnumeric
In a browser: Google Sheets

What a .csv file is

CSV stores tabular data as text with commas between fields, described by RFC 4180. Every spreadsheet, database and analytics tool imports it, which is why exports default to it. The pitfalls are real: no formatting or formulas survive, fields containing commas must be quoted, and in locales that use a comma as the decimal separator Excel expects semicolons instead, which is why a CSV sometimes lands entirely in column A.

Converting it

A .csv file is commonly converted to .xlsx, .json, .tsv, .pdf or .parquet. It is a plain text format, so any text editor can open and edit it directly.

Details

Extension: .csv
Full name: Comma-Separated Values
Category: Data
MIME type: text/csv
Created by: IETF (RFC 4180)
Format: Plain text

Common questions

How do I open a .csv file?: On Windows use Microsoft Excel; on macOS use Numbers (built in); on Linux use LibreOffice Calc. A spreadsheet as plain text, one row per line — the universal data exchange format.
What is a .csv file?: Comma-Separated Values. CSV stores tabular data as text with commas between fields, described by RFC 4180. Every spreadsheet, database and analytics tool imports it, which is why exports default to it.
Can I convert a .csv file?: Yes. It is usually converted to .xlsx, .json, .tsv, .pdf or .parquet, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.

.json — JavaScript Object Notation The standard text format for structured data on the web and in config files.
.xml — Extensible Markup Language A tag-based text format for structured data, still everywhere in enterprise syst
.yaml — YAML Data File An indentation-based configuration format, readable but unforgiving about whites
.log — Log File A plain-text record of what a program did, newest events usually at the bottom.
.torrent — BitTorrent Metainfo File A few kilobytes of metadata describing what to download and from whom — not the
.dat — Generic Data File A meaningless extension — .dat says only that some program stored data here.
.vcf — vCard Contact File One or more contacts as plain text — the standard way to move an address book.
.sql — SQL Script A text file of database commands — often a full database dump.
.ics — iCalendar Event A calendar invitation or event feed in a plain-text standard format.
.sqlite — SQLite Database A complete relational database in a single file — the most deployed database in
.db — Generic Database File An extension many programs use for their data — it does not identify one format.
.bin — Binary File Raw binary data — most often a disc image paired with a .cue, or device firmware

Sources

Media Types Registry — IANA
Official vendor product documentation — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked