Do I need an old Excel version installed to convert .xls?

No. The converter reads the legacy Excel 97-2003 binary format directly on the server, so any browser is enough — you do not need an old copy of Excel or to upgrade the file to .xlsx first.

Which sheet is exported if my XLS workbook has several?

The first (active) sheet is exported, since a CSV file can hold only a single table. If you need the other sheets too, convert the workbook once per sheet after making each one active in turn.

Will formulas be kept in the CSV?

No. CSV stores only the calculated results as plain text — formulas, formatting, colours and charts are dropped, because CSV is a raw data-exchange format meant for importing values into another system.

What character encoding does the CSV use?

The output is UTF-8, so accented, Cyrillic and other non-Latin characters are preserved correctly. If you import into an older tool that expects a regional codepage, tell it the file is UTF-8 to avoid garbled text.

Which delimiter separates the columns?

Values are separated by commas, the universal CSV standard that databases, scripts and analytics tools expect. Fields that contain a comma or a line break are automatically wrapped in quotes so the columns stay intact.

How are dates and numbers written out?

Cell values are exported as the plain text they display, so a date stays readable and a number keeps its digits. Because there is no formatting layer, currency symbols and thousands separators from the sheet are not added.

Why convert XLS to CSV instead of keeping the spreadsheet?

CSV is the lowest-common-denominator format: almost every database importer, programming language and data pipeline reads it directly, while an .xls binary often needs a special library — so CSV is the reliable way to move raw data around.

Convert Excel XLS to CSV Online

Export a legacy Excel 97-2003 spreadsheet to universal CSV for any database, script or app.

or drag & drop them here · images, video, audio and documents · up to 2 GB

How to convert Excel XLS to CSV

Click "Choose Files" and select your Excel XLS file, or drag & drop it onto the page.
Make sure CSV is selected as the target format.
Click "Convert" and wait a few seconds.
Download your new CSV file.

Why Converters.live?

Free and unlimited — convert as many Excel XLS documents to CSV as you need.
Files up to 2 GB, with layout, fonts and formatting preserved when converting Excel XLS to CSV.
Your documents are deleted from the server immediately after conversion — nothing is stored.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an old Excel version installed to convert .xls?: No. The converter reads the legacy Excel 97-2003 binary format directly on the server, so any browser is enough — you do not need an old copy of Excel or to upgrade the file to .xlsx first.
Which sheet is exported if my XLS workbook has several?: The first (active) sheet is exported, since a CSV file can hold only a single table. If you need the other sheets too, convert the workbook once per sheet after making each one active in turn.
Will formulas be kept in the CSV?: No. CSV stores only the calculated results as plain text — formulas, formatting, colours and charts are dropped, because CSV is a raw data-exchange format meant for importing values into another system.
What character encoding does the CSV use?: The output is UTF-8, so accented, Cyrillic and other non-Latin characters are preserved correctly. If you import into an older tool that expects a regional codepage, tell it the file is UTF-8 to avoid garbled text.
Which delimiter separates the columns?: Values are separated by commas, the universal CSV standard that databases, scripts and analytics tools expect. Fields that contain a comma or a line break are automatically wrapped in quotes so the columns stay intact.
How are dates and numbers written out?: Cell values are exported as the plain text they display, so a date stays readable and a number keeps its digits. Because there is no formatting layer, currency symbols and thousands separators from the sheet are not added.
Why convert XLS to CSV instead of keeping the spreadsheet?: CSV is the lowest-common-denominator format: almost every database importer, programming language and data pipeline reads it directly, while an .xls binary often needs a special library — so CSV is the reliable way to move raw data around.

About Excel XLS and CSV

Key things to know before you convert Excel XLS to CSV:

XLS

XLS is the legacy Excel format from pre-2007 Office versions. All modern spreadsheet apps still open it, but XLSX is smaller and more reliable for new work.

CSV

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is the universal tabular data format: a plain text file where each row is a record and columns are separated by commas. Imports into any spreadsheet, database or script.

Related conversions

XLSX→CSV XLS→XLSX XLS→PDF ODS→CSV DOCX→PDF PDF→DOCX PDF→TXT CSV→XLSX