About the TSV to Text Converter
When you copy cells from Excel or Google Sheets, the clipboard holds tab-separated values. Pasting that into an e-mail or a chat gives a mess of tabs. This tool turns TSV into readable plain text: aligned columns that line up in a monospaced font, one block per row with name and value pairs, or the values of each row joined with a separator you choose. Copy a range of cells, paste it into the box and copy the readable result. It runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded and private spreadsheets stay private.
Updated October 2026
How to use the TSV to Text Converter
- 1Copy the cells in your spreadsheet and paste them into the left box.
- 2Choose aligned columns, one block per row or joined values.
- 3Tick First row is the header if the first row holds column names.
- 4For joined values, type the separator.
- 5Press Copy or Download table.txt.
From spreadsheet to message
Spreadsheets are awkward to share in plain text. Screenshots cannot be copied, attachments are heavy, and pasted cells turn into a stream of tabs. Converting the copied cells to aligned text gives a result that looks like a table in any monospaced setting, such as a code block, a ticket system or a text e-mail.
Choosing the output
Aligned columns suits narrow tables with short values. Records suits tables with many columns, where each row is easier to read as a list of name and value pairs. Joined values suits quick reformatting, for example turning a column of names into a single line.
- Few columns, short values: aligned
- Many columns or long text: records
- One line per row for lists: joined
What happens to the header
When First row is the header is ticked, aligned tables get a dashed line under the first row, and records use the header names as labels. If your data has no header, leave it unticked, and records will not be available because they need names.
A quick example
Copy three rows from a sheet with the columns name, city and age. Pasted here and shown as aligned columns, you get a neat grid with a line under the header. Copy that into a message and your colleague sees the table without opening a file.
Phone and computer
On a phone, copy cells in a spreadsheet app, paste them into the box, and copy the text result into your message app. On a computer you can also download table.txt for documents. Pasting from Numbers on a Mac works the same way.
Good to know
If your data uses commas instead of tabs, use CSV to Text Converter instead. Empty trailing cells are kept, so a row with missing values keeps its alignment. Very long values make aligned tables very wide; switch to records in that case. To go back to a table use the Text to TSV Converter, and TSV to JSON Converter prepares it for code.
Features
- Reads what spreadsheets put on the clipboard
- Aligned columns with header line
- Records as name: value blocks
- Joined values with a custom separator
- Row and column count
- No upload
Frequently asked questions
How do I get TSV from a spreadsheet?
Select the cells in Excel or Google Sheets, copy them and paste here. The clipboard format is tab-separated text, which this tool reads directly.
Why would I turn it into plain text?
To show a small table in an e-mail, chat or document without an attachment or an image.
Why do the columns not line up in my message?
Alignment needs a monospaced font. Put the text in a code block or choose a monospaced font in your editor.
What if a cell contains a line break?
Cells copied from spreadsheets with line breaks are wrapped in quotes in TSV. The reader handles them and replaces the line break with a space.
Can it write one sentence per row?
Yes. Choose joined values and type a separator such as a comma and space, a dash or a slash.
Is my spreadsheet data uploaded?
No. It is converted in your browser.