JSON to CSV for Excel — Converting API Responses into Spreadsheets
Excel has no native "import JSON" flow for most users. If someone sends you JSON — a raw API response, a webhook payload, a configuration dump — and you need it in a spreadsheet, you need to convert it to CSV first. freecsv2json.app does exactly that, in your browser, without uploading anything.
Paste your JSON (an array of objects works best), switch to "JSON → CSV" mode, and pick your options. Excel on macOS and most non-English locales expects semicolons as the delimiter and Windows Excel prefers CRLF line endings — freecsv2json.app supports both so the output opens correctly in your version of Excel.
Step-by-step
- Copy the JSON. Whether from a browser dev tools Network tab, a Postman response, or a file.
- Open freecsv2json.app and paste into the left pane. If the JSON starts with
[or{, the tool auto-switches to JSON → CSV mode. - Pick your delimiter. Comma is standard; semicolon is common in European Excel installations.
- Pick your line endings. CRLF for Windows Excel, LF for Mac Excel or Google Sheets import.
- Click Download. A
.csvfile appears in your Downloads folder. - Open in Excel. Double-click the file, or drag into an open Excel workbook.
Handling nested JSON
Excel expects flat rows with one value per cell. If your JSON has nested objects or arrays inside values, freecsv2json.app preserves them by JSON-stringifying the nested content. That way nothing is lost, and if you need to re-expand a column later you can split it in Excel or feed it back through the converter.
For deeply nested data where each record has different keys, flatten your JSON first (or use a tool like jq) before pasting. freecsv2json.app collects the union of all top-level keys across all records as the header row.
Try freecsv2json.app — Free, No Sign-Up
Paste JSON, download Excel-ready CSV. All processing happens in your browser.
Open CSV ↔ JSON →Frequently Asked Questions
My Excel on macOS opens the CSV as one giant column. Why?
Locale mismatch on the delimiter. macOS Excel often expects semicolon. In freecsv2json.app, change the delimiter to ; and re-download.
Does freecsv2json.app handle arrays of arrays?
Yes. If your JSON is [[1,2,3],[4,5,6]], it converts to three columns and two rows with no header. Toggle the Header row behaviour in Excel on import as needed.
What about single JSON objects (not arrays)?
A single top-level object is treated as an array of one record. You'll get a two-row CSV: header + one data row.
My JSON values have commas — will the CSV be broken?
No. freecsv2json.app correctly quotes any value containing a comma, quote, or newline per RFC 4180. Excel reads the quoted CSV correctly.
Is any of my JSON sent to a server?
No. freecsv2json.app processes everything locally. Safe for JSON containing API keys, customer data, PII, or internal identifiers.
Can I convert the CSV back to JSON later?
Yes. Paste the CSV back into freecsv2json.app (or use the Swap button) and the tool converts it back — same tool, opposite direction.