Convert Semicolon-Delimited CSV to TSV

Semicolon-Delimited CSV

In many European countries, the comma is used as a decimal separator (e.g., "3,14" for pi). To avoid confusion, CSV files from European systems often use semicolons as field delimiters instead of commas. This format is sometimes called "SCSV" (semicolon-separated values).

Example: European CSV (Semicolon-Delimited)

Produkt;Preis;Menge
Widget;19,99;150
Gadget;49,99;75
Doohickey;9,99;300

Converted to TSV

Produkt	Preis	Menge
Widget	19,99	150
Gadget	49,99	75
Doohickey	9,99	300

Configuring the CSV Delimiter

To handle semicolon-delimited files:

1. Set the CSV Delimiter dropdown to Semicolon (;)
2. Select the conversion direction (CSV → TSV or TSV → CSV)
3. The converter will use semicolons for parsing or generating CSV

Decimal Comma Preservation

Note that the decimal comma inside field values (e.g., "19,99") is preserved as-is during conversion. When converting to TSV, these values do not need quoting because they do not contain the tab delimiter.

Other Common Delimiters

Besides commas and semicolons, some systems use:

• Pipe (|): Common in Unix/Linux data files and some legacy systems
• Tab (\t): TSV format
• Space: Fixed-width or space-delimited formats

The converter supports comma, semicolon, and pipe as CSV delimiters. Tab is handled automatically as the TSV delimiter.

Excel and Semicolons

Microsoft Excel uses the system locale to determine the CSV delimiter. On machines with European locale settings, Excel exports CSV files with semicolons. This tool makes it easy to convert such files to standard comma-delimited CSV or TSV for use with other tools.