CSV guide

Which separator does your CSV use?

CSV files do not always use commas. Unwrap detects the separator and shows you how the file was opened.

Check a CSV Your file stays in your browser.

A CSV without commas

This is a valid CSV:

product;price;currency
Coffee;2,80;EUR
Tea;2,40;EUR

The semicolon separates the columns. The commas belong to the prices. If the file were opened with commas as the separator, the rows would be split in the wrong places.

Where to find the separator

Unwrap opens the file with the separator it detected. You can find it in the Structure view alongside the encoding, line endings, and quote character.

It also warns you when rows do not split into a consistent number of columns. That can point to a separator or quoting problem.

Separators Unwrap recognizes

If the columns still look wrong

Start with the first rows in the Table view. The column names should line up with the values below them.

If they do not, check the warnings and file settings in Structure. A row may contain an extra separator, or a text value may be missing quotes. The broken CSV guide explains these cases with an example.

Why a separator can appear inside a value

In a CSV, quotes can keep a comma or semicolon inside one value. If a row splits unexpectedly, compare it with nearby rows and check whether its text is quoted. A mismatch later in a large file may not appear in the first warning.

Common questions

Is a semicolon-separated file still a CSV?

Yes. Despite the name, CSV files often use separators other than commas.

What is a TSV file?

A TSV is a table whose columns are separated by tabs. Unwrap can recognize tab-separated data saved as a CSV.

Can I choose a different separator in Unwrap?

No. Unwrap shows the separator it detected but does not provide import settings for changing it.

Continue exploring

• Fix broken CSV — understand rows that do not line up
• CSV viewer — see how the rows and columns were read
• Open large CSV files — inspect exports with many rows