What's the difference between TSV and CSV?

TSV uses tab characters (\t) as delimiters; CSV uses commas. TSV is preferred when your data contains commas (URLs, addresses, descriptions) since it avoids the need for quoting. Both share the same row-and-column structure.

Can I paste directly from Excel or Google Sheets?

Yes. When you copy cells from Excel or Google Sheets and paste into the input box, the data is automatically formatted as tab-separated values. No need to save and re-export.

How does type detection work for TSV columns?

Each tab-separated value is inspected: "true"/"false" → booleans, "null" or empty → null, valid numeric strings → numbers, ISO-8601 dates stay as strings, and everything else is left as a raw string. Wrap a cell in quotes in your source TSV to opt out of coercion.

Does it handle multi-line values inside cells?

TSV traditionally uses one row per line, so embedded newlines are not supported by default. If your data has multi-line cells, replace the newlines with \n placeholder text before converting.

Is there a maximum file size?

No hard limit, but the conversion runs in your browser's memory. Files up to ~50MB or several hundred thousand rows convert smoothly. Larger datasets may slow your browser.

Why is BigQuery export TSV preferred?

BigQuery results often contain SQL strings, JSON-in-JSON, and other comma-heavy values. TSV avoids the escape-quote-comma chaos of CSV, making it the safer download format for analytics data.

TSV to JSON Converter

Convert tab-separated values to JSON arrays — perfect for Excel paste, BigQuery exports, and tab-delimited database dumps.

TSV Input

JSON Output

Converted JSON will appear here...

About TSV to JSON Conversion

TSV (Tab-Separated Values) is the natural cousin of CSV — same row-based structure, but with tabs as delimiters. It's the default copy-paste format for Excel and Google Sheets, the export format for BigQuery and many database CLIs, and a favorite for data files containing commas (which would break CSV).

Why TSV instead of CSV?

TSV avoids the quoting headaches of CSV. Tab characters rarely appear in real data, so fields don't need to be quoted, and complex values (URLs with query strings, descriptions with commas, etc.) round-trip cleanly. This makes TSV a favorite for analytics exports.

Excel and Google Sheets paste behavior

When you copy cells from Excel or Google Sheets and paste into a plain text field, the data is automatically formatted as TSV. This converter is designed to handle that paste directly — no need to save and export.

Type detection rules

Same as our CSV converter: numbers, booleans (true/false), and nulls/empties are auto-detected. Everything else stays a string. The result is a clean JSON array of typed objects ready for your API, database, or visualization tool.

Common TSV sources

Direct paste from Excel or Google Sheets
BigQuery query result downloads
PostgreSQL \copy and MySQL SELECT INTO OUTFILE
pandas df.to_csv(sep="\t") exports
R write.table() default output
NCBI, UniProt, and bioinformatics datasets
Tableau Data Extracts and Power BI exports

Whether you're prototyping with spreadsheet data, ingesting query results into a JSON-based pipeline, or just want to inspect a tab-delimited file, this tool delivers idiomatic JSON in one paste.

Instant Conversion

Paste tab-separated data and see JSON form in real-time.

100% Private

Your TSV data stays local — perfect for sensitive query results.

Excel Paste Friendly

Copy directly from Excel/Google Sheets — they paste as TSV by default.

Perfect For

Built for analysts, data engineers, and spreadsheet power users

Excel Migration

Paste copied cells directly and get JSON without saving to file.

BigQuery Exports

Convert query result downloads into JSON for further processing.

Database Dumps

Transform tab-delimited DB exports into JSON for NoSQL stores.

All Features

Everything you need in one tool

Auto Headers

First row becomes object keys

Real-time Convert

JSON updates as you paste

Type Detection

Numbers, booleans, nulls inferred

Excel Compatible

Direct paste from spreadsheets works

Array Output

Clean JSON array of objects

Pretty Output

Indented, readable JSON

Error Detection

Clear messages for malformed TSV

Smart Empty Handling

Empty cells become null

No Quote Confusion

Tabs eliminate CSV quoting issues

Copy & Download

One-click copy or .json export

History Tracking

Recent conversions saved locally

Live Validation

Instant TSV structure feedback

Why Developers Love It

Designed with your workflow in mind

Blazing Fast

Tab parsing is faster than CSV — no quote state machine

Works Offline

Process query results without uploads

Mobile Friendly

Responsive on tablets and phones

Dark & Light Themes

Comfortable for long sessions

Sensible Defaults

Smart type coercion out of the box

Zero Setup

Free forever, no signups

TSV to JSON FAQ

Common questions about TSV conversion