.csv File Extension

Comma-separated values files are plain text documents with tables and spreadsheet information. The extension is used to transfer payment details, income or tax information, and other data to other info management solutions.

Tech peculiarities of the .csv extension

As a rule, the first line of document like this has labels for tables and columns. Each line represents a row of this table. Cells in rows are separated by commas. This is where the format’s name comes from.

Users can easily insert and extract info from CSV files. Such files allow users to transfer input that was saved in a proprietary format (e.g. a .xlsx file) into another program that doesn’t support the format the document was saved in.

This file format is usually associated with Microsoft Excel since it’s one of the most commonly used ways to transfer data out of and into a spreadsheet. However, there are certain differences between these two types. XLS documents contain all the data from the worksheets, including images, formatting, charts, formulas, etc. On the other hand, the .csv only allows users to store a single sheet in a file. No formulas or formatting can be implemented.