JSON to CSV Converter — Free Tool

What Is the JSON to CSV Converter?

Convert JSON data to CSV format and vice versa. Handle nested objects, arrays, and complex data structures with customizable delimiter and header options.

Why Use This Tool?

Moving data between APIs (which typically use JSON) and spreadsheet tools (which use CSV) is a common workflow. This tool handles the conversion automatically, including flattening nested JSON structures into tabular CSV format.

How to Use This JSON CSV Converter

Paste your JSON or CSV data — Enter the data you want to convert into the input field. For JSON, use an array of objects. For CSV, use a standard comma-separated format with a header row.
Select the conversion direction — Choose JSON → CSV or CSV → JSON depending on your needs.
Configure options — Set the delimiter (comma, semicolon, tab), choose whether to include headers, and select how to handle nested objects.
Copy or download the result — Click Copy for quick use, or Download to save as a .csv or .json file.

If the source data is XML rather than JSON or CSV, the XML to JSON converter flattens it into nested JSON you can then convert here.

For deeply nested JSON where the standard converter would stringify the inner objects, use the deep JSON to CSV flattener instead — it walks the full tree and emits dot-notation columns.

Filter the CSV down to the rows you actually need with the CSV Row Filter before the conversion step here.

If the CSV is destined for a SQL database, hop over to the CSV to SQL converter once you have a clean CSV in hand.

Working with a CSV that has duplicates, stray whitespace, or inconsistent null markers? Run it through the CSV Cleaner before the conversion step here.

If the source is a PDF report rather than JSON or CSV, start with the PDF to XLSX converter to extract tables first, then run further transforms here.

Tips and Best Practices

→ Flatten nested JSON first. CSV is inherently flat — it can't represent nested objects. Before converting, decide how to handle nesting: flatten keys (user.name → user_name), serialize to JSON strings, or extract to separate rows.
→ Use semicolons for European locales. In countries that use commas as decimal separators (Germany, France, Brazil), CSV files typically use semicolons as delimiters to avoid ambiguity.
→ Check your header row. CSV headers become JSON property names. Ensure they're clean — no spaces, special characters, or duplicates that could cause issues in code.
→ Handle empty values intentionally. Decide how empty CSV cells should appear in JSON: as null, empty strings, or omitted entirely. Each approach has different implications for downstream processing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does it handle nested JSON?

Nested objects are flattened using dot notation: {user: {name: 'John'}} becomes a column named 'user.name'. Arrays are either joined or expanded into multiple rows depending on your settings.

Can I convert CSV back to JSON?

Yes. The tool works bidirectionally. Paste CSV data and get properly structured JSON output with auto-detected column types (numbers, booleans, strings).

What delimiter options are available?

Comma (standard CSV), semicolon (common in European locales), tab (TSV), and pipe. The tool auto-detects the delimiter when converting from CSV to JSON.

What is the difference between JSON and CSV?+

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) supports nested structures, multiple data types, and complex relationships — ideal for APIs and web applications. CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a flat, tabular format ideal for spreadsheets, data imports, and simple datasets. JSON is more flexible; CSV is more portable and human-readable for tabular data.

When should I use CSV instead of JSON?+

Use CSV when your data is naturally tabular (rows and columns), when you need compatibility with Excel or Google Sheets, when file size matters (CSV is smaller for flat data), or when you're exchanging data with non-technical stakeholders who prefer spreadsheets.

How do I handle nested JSON when converting to CSV?+

Common approaches include dot notation flattening (user.address.city becomes a column named user.address.city), serializing nested objects as JSON strings within CSV cells, or splitting nested arrays into multiple rows. The best approach depends on your data structure and downstream use case.

How do I convert JSON to CSV?+

Paste your JSON array into this tool and it extracts the keys as column headers and values as rows, outputting a clean CSV file. Nested objects are flattened with dot notation.

What JSON structure works for CSV conversion?+

CSV conversion works best with a flat array of objects where each object has the same keys. Nested objects are flattened, and arrays within objects are stringified.

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Built by Derek Giordano · Part of Ultimate Design Tools

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