How to use the CSV Viewer
- Upload a .csv file or paste CSV text.
- Click a column header to sort; type in the search box to filter rows.
- Use the links below the table to convert or plot the data.
View CSV without Excel
Excel changes data as it opens a CSV (dropping leading zeros, converting values to dates). This viewer shows the file exactly as written. It is useful for checking an export before you import it somewhere else, or for opening a CSV on a computer without Excel.
Next steps with your data
Once you have checked the file, clean it, extract columns, convert it to Excel or plot it.
What the viewer handles
The viewer is built for checking real-world exports before you import them somewhere else:
| Feature | How it works |
|---|---|
| Any separator | Comma, semicolon, tab, pipe and space-separated files are detected |
| Title lines | Lines above the real header are skipped |
| Sorting | Click a column header; numbers sort numerically, text alphabetically |
| Search | Filters all rows containing your text, in any column |
| Encodings | UTF-8 plus older Windows encodings used by Excel |
Checking a CSV before you import it
Before loading a file into a database, CRM or analysis script, check four things: the row count matches what you expect; the header names are correct; IDs and ZIP codes still have their leading zeros; and there are no stray header or total rows in the middle. Sorting a column is the quickest way to spot blanks and odd values, because they collect at the top or bottom.
If you find problems, the CSV cleaner fixes spaces, blank rows and duplicates, and "Plot →" sends the table to the graph maker for a quick visual check.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I open a CSV on my phone?
- Yes. The viewer works in mobile browsers; open a file from your phone’s storage or paste the text. Wide tables scroll sideways.
- Why do some rows look shifted?
- Usually an unquoted comma inside a value. Values containing the separator must be wrapped in double quotes in the CSV; ask whoever produced the file to quote text fields.
- How large a CSV can I open?
- Files up to tens of megabytes usually work. The first 2,000 matching rows are shown at once to keep scrolling fast; search and sort work on all rows.
- Can I edit the CSV?
- The viewer is read-only. Use the CSV cleaner or column extractor to change data.
- Is my file uploaded?
- No. It is read in your browser.
Last updated: · by the Plotiq team