JSON to TSV Converter

How to use the JSON to TSV Converter

1. 1Paste your JSON into the box on the left, or press Try a sample to see how it works.
2. 2Check the options above the boxes; they only show the ones that matter for JSON to TSV.
3. 3Read the TSV output on the right. It updates as you type.
4. 4If an error appears, it names the line of the JSON that could not be read; fix it and the output returns.
5. 5Press Copy result, or Download to save a TSV file.

Why people convert JSON to TSV

The two formats suit different jobs. JSON is a text format built from curly-brace objects, square-bracket lists, strings, numbers, true, false and null; people meet it in web APIs, app settings and browser code. TSV is a plain table where a tab character splits the columns and each line is a row; people meet it in copy and paste from spreadsheets, bioinformatics files and database dumps. A move from JSON to TSV usually happens when data created in one place has to be used in another, and retyping it by hand would be slow and error-prone.

A JSON list of flat objects becomes a table: the keys of the objects form the header line and each object becomes one tab-separated row. Objects nested inside objects are flattened into dotted column names, such as address.city, and a list inside a record is written into its cell as JSON text, so no information is lost.

How the JSON to TSV conversion works

The tool first reads your JSON into a plain structure of rows or objects, so it knows what is a key and what is a value. It then writes that structure again in the TSV style. Because nothing is guessed about the content, the values you see in the TSV are the ones that were in the JSON.

Paste the result straight into a spreadsheet and every value lands in its own cell.

• Paste the JSON exactly as it is, including the header line if there is one.
• Use Try a sample to see how a small JSON turns into TSV before using your own data.
• Read the TSV before you use it; check that special characters came through as you expect.

Tips for a clean TSV result

Start with tidy JSON: the same keys or columns in every record give the neatest TSV. If your JSON has stray blank lines or an inconsistent number of items, tidy them first, or the TSV will show empty values where something is missing.

Keep a copy of the original JSON. The conversion works well for data, but formatting such as colours, formulas and comments belongs to the program that made the file and does not travel into plain TSV.

On phone and computer

On a computer, paste with Ctrl+V or Cmd+V, check the TSV and use Copy result. On a phone, long-press in the left box to paste, and use the Download button to save a TSV file you can send from the share menu.

The two boxes sit side by side on a wide screen and one above the other on a narrow one, so you can read both without zooming. Wide tables with many columns are easier to check on a computer, but short lists work fine on a phone. Before converting, check that the input is valid with JSON Validator and readable with JSON Formatter. For other formats, use Data Format Converter, and open the result as a table with CSV Tools.

Features

• Converts JSON to TSV as you type
• Clear error messages that name the problem in the JSON
• Sample data to try first
• Copy result or download as a file
• Private: runs in your browser, nothing uploaded
• Works on phone and computer

Frequently asked questions