About the CSV to Text Converter
A CSV file is great for programs and awkward for people, especially when you want to paste it into an e-mail, a chat or a document. This tool turns CSV into readable plain text. Choose aligned columns for a neat table that lines up in any monospaced font, one block per row with name and value pairs for records, or a simple list where the values of each row are joined with a separator you choose. Quoted values and commas inside them are read correctly. The conversion runs in your browser, so your data is not uploaded.
Updated October 2026
How to use the CSV to Text Converter
- 1Paste your CSV into the left box.
- 2Choose how to write it: aligned columns, one block per row, or joined values.
- 3Tick First row is the header if the first line holds column names.
- 4For joined values, type the separator you want between them.
- 5Press Copy or Download the result as table.txt.
Why make a CSV readable
You cannot easily read a CSV by eye: the commas and quotes get in the way, and the columns do not line up. When you want to show a small table in an e-mail, a support ticket, a README or a chat message, plain aligned text is clearer than a raw CSV and does not need an attachment.
The three ways to write it
Aligned columns pads each column so the table looks like a grid. Records writes each row as a labelled block, which suits tables with many columns. Joined values writes each row as one line with your own separator, useful for turning rows into sentences or lists.
- Aligned: best for narrow tables of a few columns
- Records: best for wide tables and long values
- Joined: best for lists, tags and quick formatting
How CSV is read
The reader follows the CSV rules: values may be wrapped in double quotes, a doubled quote means one quote character and commas inside quotes belong to the value. Short rows are padded so every row has the same width. A byte order mark at the start of the file is ignored.
A quick example
Take a CSV with the header name, city and age and two rows. As aligned columns you get three lines of text and a dashed line under the header. As records you get two blocks of three lines each, such as name: Ann, city: New York and age: 31.
Phone and computer
On a phone, paste the CSV from a spreadsheet export and copy the result into a message. On a computer, you can also download table.txt. For a very wide table, records fit a narrow screen far better than aligned columns.
Good to know
Aligned columns count characters, so wide characters such as emoji or some Asian scripts may look misaligned in some fonts. Leading and trailing spaces inside values are kept. If you need Markdown instead of plain text, use Markdown Table Generator. For tab files, the TSV to Text Converter is the fixed-tab twin, and the Text to CSV Converter goes the other direction.
Features
- Aligned columns with a header line
- One block per row in name: value form
- Joined values with any separator
- Reads quoted CSV correctly
- Row and column count
- Private: nothing leaves your browser
Frequently asked questions
What does aligned columns look like?
Every column is padded to the width of its longest value, with a dashed line under the header, so the text lines up in a monospaced font such as the one used in code blocks and e-mails.
What are records?
Each data row becomes a block of lines, one per column, written as the column name, a colon and the value. It is easy to read for wide tables with long values.
Why does the alignment look off in my chat app?
Alignment needs a monospaced font. Paste the text into a code block or use a monospaced font in your document.
What happens to line breaks inside a cell?
They are replaced with a space so each row stays on one line.
Does it work with semicolon-separated files?
This tool reads commas. For semicolons, change the delimiter first with CSV Delimiter Changer, or use the TSV version for tab-separated data.
Is my data uploaded?
No. It is converted in your browser.