TSV File Format

Tab-Separated Values category

TSV (Tab-Separated Values) is CSV’s cousin that uses tab characters as separators — common in bioinformatics, data-warehouse exports and Excel clipboard data.

Typical use: Many research datasets and database dumps ship as TSV; converting to CSV or JSON makes them broadly usable.

About the TSV format

TSV is CSV's tab-separated sibling: rows as lines, columns split by tabs, everything plain text. Its quiet superpower is the clipboard — copy a range in Excel or Sheets, paste into a text editor, and you are looking at TSV; paste it back and the grid restores. That round-trip makes it the Lingua franca of ad-hoc spreadsheet work.

The tab delimiter avoids CSV's comma-in-text quoting dance, at the price of being broken by any value that itself contains a tab — there is no standard quoting. Like CSV it is untyped, single-table, and happiest as a quick exchange or import format.

Strengths

✓ Round-trips through the clipboard with spreadsheets
✓ No quoting rules to worry about
✓ Columns align visually in monospace editors

Limitations

✗ A tab inside any value corrupts the file
✗ Untyped and single-table like CSV
✗ Some tools assume CSV only

Structure: One flat table
Types / schema: Untyped
Compatibility: Spreadsheets paste natively
Best for: Quick spreadsheet exchange

Convert TSV to…

10 direct directions plus 4 workflows, sorted A–Z; 🔥 marks popular targets.

TSV to CSV Hot TSV to HTM Hot TSV to HTML Hot TSV to JSON Hot TSV to MHT TSV to ODS TSV to Parquet TSV to XHTML TSV to YAML TSV to YML

Cross-engine workflows

TSV to PDF TSV to PNG TSV to PNG24 TSV to PNG8

Convert other files to TSV…

CSV to TSV Hot HTM to TSV Hot HTML to TSV Hot JSON to TSV Hot MHT to TSV ODS to TSV Parquet to TSV PCD to TSV XHTML to TSV XLS to TSV XLSB to TSV XLSM to TSV XLSX to TSV Hot XLTX to TSV XML to TSV Hot XYZ to TSV YAML to TSV YML to TSV

Frequently asked questions

What is a TSV file?

TSV (Tab-Separated Values) is CSV’s cousin that uses tab characters as separators — common in bioinformatics, data-warehouse exports and Excel clipboard data.

How do I convert TSV files online?

Pick a target format from the "Convert TSV to…" list below, drop your file and hit convert. Everything runs in your browser — no install, no upload, no watermark, no limits.

Is it safe to convert TSV files here?

Yes. Every conversion is performed by your own device inside the browser — files never leave for a server, and the page keeps working even offline.

Which formats can TSV convert to?

This page lists all 14 directions across documents, images, audio, video, spreadsheets and archives — each one is its own free converter page.