YAML to TSV Converter

How to use the YAML to TSV Converter

1. 1Paste your YAML 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 YAML 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 YAML 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 YAML to TSV

The two formats suit different jobs. YAML is an indentation-based format where nesting is shown by spaces, lists start with a dash and keys end with a colon; people meet it in configuration files, Kubernetes, Docker Compose and CI pipelines. 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 YAML 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 YAML list of items with the same keys becomes a table whose first line holds the keys and whose rows hold the values, separated by tabs. Nested keys are flattened into dotted column names, and a list inside an item is written into its cell as JSON text, so no value is dropped.

How the YAML to TSV conversion works

The tool first reads your YAML 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 YAML.

Paste the result into a spreadsheet and each value fills its own cell.

• Paste the YAML exactly as it is, including the header line if there is one.
• Use Try a sample to see how a small YAML 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 YAML: the same keys or columns in every record give the neatest TSV. If your YAML 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 YAML. 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. Look at the parsed data as JSON with JSON Formatter first, and confirm it with JSON Validator. Data Format Converter does other conversions, and CSV Tools helps once you have a table.

Features

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