# Markdown Table to CSV

Convert Markdown or pipe-delimited tables into clean CSV. Strip alignment rows and padding; choose delimiter, quoting, line endings, header, and BOM.

## Run it

- **CLI:** `gizza tool markdown-table-to-csv "| name | role |
| --- | --- |
| Ada | Engineer |
| Bo | Designer |"`
- **Web:** https://gizza.ai/tools/markdown-table-to-csv/
- **Agents:** machine-readable descriptor (parameters JSON Schema) at https://gizza.ai/tools/markdown-table-to-csv/tool.json

## Inputs

- `markdown` — Markdown or pipe table _(field)_
- `delimiter` — Delimiter (single char, or comma/tab/semicolon/pipe/space) _(field)_
- `header` — First row is a header (keep it) _(field)_
- `quote` — Quoting _(field)_
- `newline` — Line ending _(field)_
- `bom` — Add UTF-8 BOM (for Excel) _(field)_

## Output

- CSV (text)

## Query parameters

Open the tool pre-filled and auto-run via URL:

- `markdown` — Markdown or pipe table
- `delimiter` — Delimiter (single char, or comma/tab/semicolon/pipe/space)
- `header` — First row is a header (keep it)
- `quote` — Quoting
- `newline` — Line ending
- `bom` — Add UTF-8 BOM (for Excel)

Example: `https://gizza.ai/tools/markdown-table-to-csv/?markdown=%7C%20name%20%7C%20role%20%7C%0A%7C%20---%20%7C%20---%20%7C%0A%7C%20Ada%20%7C%20Engineer%20%7C%0A%7C%20Bo%20%7C%20Designer%20%7C&delimiter=%2C&header=true&quote=minimal&newline=lf&bom=true`

---

## What this tool does

Paste a **Markdown table** (or any pipe-delimited table) and get back clean
**CSV**. It runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded, it works
offline, and there's no sign-up.

The parser:

- drops the Markdown **alignment/separator row** (`---`, `:--`, `--:`, `:-:`),
- **trims cell padding** so `|  Ada   |` becomes `Ada`,
- treats the **outer pipes as optional** — `name | role` works as well as
  `| name | role |`,
- turns an escaped `\|` into a **literal pipe** inside a cell (and quotes that
  cell so it re-imports correctly),
- **quotes** any field that contains the delimiter, a quote, or a newline
  (RFC 4180),
- **pads ragged rows** out to the widest row, and
- **ignores surrounding prose** — you can paste a whole chat message and only the
  table lines are converted.

## Options

| Option | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Delimiter** | Output field separator. A single character, or a name: `comma` (default), `tab` (gives TSV), `semicolon`, `pipe`, `space`. |
| **First row is a header** | On by default — keeps the header row. Turn it off to drop the header and emit only the data rows. |
| **Quoting** | `minimal` (default) quotes a field only when it needs it; `all` wraps every field in double quotes. |
| **Line ending** | `lf` (default, `\n`, Unix/macOS) or `crlf` (`\r\n`, Windows/Excel). |
| **Add UTF-8 BOM** | Off by default. Turn it on so Excel opens the CSV as UTF-8 (keeps accents like `São` intact). |

## Examples

| Input (Markdown) | Settings | Output (CSV) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `\| name \| role \|`<br>`\| --- \| --- \|`<br>`\| Ada \| Engineer \|` | default | `name,role`<br>`Ada,Engineer` |
| same as above | delimiter `tab` | `name` + TAB + `role` … (TSV) |
| `\| city \| note \|`<br>`\| --- \| --- \|`<br>`\| Paris, FR \| capital \|` | quoting `all` | `"city","note"`<br>`"Paris, FR","capital"` |
| `\| a \| b \|`<br>`\| --- \| --- \|`<br>`\| x \| y \|` | header off | `x,y` |

A cell with a comma is quoted automatically: `Paris, FR` becomes `"Paris, FR"`
so it stays one field.

## Limits & edge cases

- **One table at a time.** Every pipe-bearing line is treated as part of a single
  table — if you paste a document with several separate tables, they're merged.
  Convert one table per run.
- **Ragged rows are padded**, not rejected: a row with fewer cells than the widest
  row is filled with empty fields on the right.
- **Non-table lines are ignored** — any line without a `|` (prose, blank lines) is
  skipped. If nothing has a pipe, you get a clear "no table rows found" error.
- The output has **no trailing newline**; copy or download it as-is.

## FAQ

<details>
<summary>Is it free and private?</summary>

Yes. The conversion runs locally in your browser with WebAssembly — your table
never leaves your device, and the page keeps working offline once it has loaded.
There's no account and no upload.

</details>

<details>
<summary>Does the input have to be a full Markdown table?</summary>

No. Outer pipes and the `---` alignment row are both optional. A plain
pipe-delimited block like `1 | 2 | 3` on each line converts fine — every non-blank
line that contains a `|` is treated as a row.

</details>

<details>
<summary>How do I get a tab-separated (TSV) file instead?</summary>

Set the **Delimiter** field to `tab` (or type a literal tab / `\t`). You can also
use `semicolon`, `pipe`, `space`, or any single character.

</details>

<details>
<summary>My cell contains a pipe character — how do I keep it?</summary>

Escape it in the Markdown as `\|`. The tool turns `\|` into a literal `|` inside
the cell instead of a column break, and quotes that field so it re-imports as one
value.

</details>

<details>
<summary>Excel shows my accents as garbage — what do I do?</summary>

Turn on **Add UTF-8 BOM**. The byte-order mark tells Excel the file is UTF-8, so
characters like `São` or `café` open correctly. For Windows imports you may also
want the **Line ending** set to `crlf`.

</details>

<details>
<summary>Can I drop the header row?</summary>

Yes — turn off **First row is a header**. The first row is removed and only the
data rows are written to the CSV.

</details>

## Related tools

- [CSV ⇄ JSON Converter](https://gizza.ai/tools/csv-json-convert/): Convert CSV to JSON or JSON to CSV in your browser — auto-detects direction, infers types, handles quoted fields and custom delimiters. Free, no upload.
- [Extract Tables from HTML](https://gizza.ai/tools/html-table-extractor/): Paste HTML and pull out any <table> as clean CSV or JSON. Pick the table and output format. Runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded, free.
- [Amazon Order Analyzer](https://gizza.ai/tools/amazon-order-analyzer/): Paste an Amazon order-history CSV export to summarize total spend by month, top items, and category breakdowns. Browser-only, private, with Markdown or JSON output.
- [Avro to JSON Converter](https://gizza.ai/tools/avro-to-json/): Decode Apache Avro Object Container Files (.avro / OCF) to JSON, NDJSON, or the embedded schema — no .avsc needed, free and private in your browser.
- [Reconcile bank statement and ledger CSVs](https://gizza.ai/tools/bank-statement-reconcile/): Match bank-statement CSV rows to ledger rows by date, signed amount, and fuzzy memo similarity, with unmatched and suggested matches.