Spreadsheets export CSV; APIs, scripts and front-end apps want JSON. ConvertCove turns each CSV row into a JSON object keyed by the header row, with numbers and true/false values typed correctly, all without sending your data anywhere.
How to convert CSV to JSON
- Click Select CSV files or drag them onto the box above. You can add as many as you like.
- Check that the target says JSON. Click the slider icon next to a file to change its options.
- Press Convert. Each file shows its own progress, and the work happens on your device.
- Download files one by one, or use Download all (ZIP). Press Convert more to start a new batch.
Values like 00501 or long account numbers lose their leading zeros or precision when typed as numbers. Untick “Detect numbers” for those files.
CSV vs JSON
What is CSV?
CSV is a plain-text table: one record per line and fields separated by commas, semicolons or tabs. It is simple, but details such as quoted commas, line breaks inside fields and regional delimiters trip up naive converters. More about the CSV format.
What is JSON?
JSON represents data as nested objects and arrays. It is the native format of JavaScript and of most web APIs, configuration files and NoSQL databases. More about the JSON format.
| CSV | JSON | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Comma-Separated Values | JavaScript Object Notation |
| Extensions | .csv, .tsv, .txt | .json |
| MIME type | text/csv | application/json |
When to convert CSV to JSON
- You are seeding a database or a static site from a spreadsheet.
- A developer asked for “the data as JSON” and you have an Excel export.
- You want to load a dataset into a JavaScript chart or map.
- You need to test an API with realistic records.
Quality and settings
The first row becomes the property names; empty header cells become column_1, column_2 and so on. The delimiter is detected automatically (comma, semicolon, tab or pipe), and RFC 4180 quoting is respected, including escaped quotes and line breaks inside quoted fields. Number and boolean detection is on by default and can be switched off in the options if you need everything as strings, for example to keep leading zeros in ZIP codes. Choose 2-space, 4-space or minified output.