XML to TSV Converter

How to use the XML to TSV Converter

1. 1Paste your XML 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 XML 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 XML 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 XML to TSV

The two formats suit different jobs. XML is a tag-based format where every value sits inside named opening and closing tags, with optional attributes; people meet it in older APIs, feeds, office documents and configuration files. 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 XML 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.

The converter looks inside the wrapper elements for the repeating records, then writes one tab-separated row per record with the child elements as columns. Attributes become their own columns with an at-sign style prefix, so identifiers stored as attributes are kept.

How the XML to TSV conversion works

The tool first reads your XML 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 XML.

The output can be pasted directly into a spreadsheet, where each value lands in its own cell.

• Paste the XML exactly as it is, including the header line if there is one.
• Use Try a sample to see how a small XML 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 XML: the same keys or columns in every record give the neatest TSV. If your XML 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 XML. 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. Check the source tags with XML Formatter before you convert. JSON Formatter lets you look at the same records another way, Data Format Converter covers other formats, and CSV Tools is a good next stop for editing the table.

Features

• Converts XML to TSV as you type
• Clear error messages that name the problem in the XML
• 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