What happens when you convert CSV to PDF
- The CSV is opened by LibreOffice, the open-source office suite, on our conversion server and exported to PDF with its layout: the table is printed as a plain grid across as many A4 pages as it needs.
- The CSV is read as UTF-8 with commas between values. A CSV has no formatting, so the columns get the default width and font, and long values may be cut off at the column edge, as they are on screen.
- Where the file uses a font our server does not have, a metric-compatible one is used instead: Carlito for Calibri, Caladea for Cambria and Liberation fonts for Arial, Times New Roman and Courier New, so lines break where they did. Unusual or decorative fonts may look different.
- Password-protected files cannot be converted, because they cannot be opened without the password.
- This conversion runs on our server: the file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert CSV to PDF online
- Press "Choose CSV files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to PDF". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each PDF with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your CSV and the PDF by then.
Why convert CSV to PDF?
CSV files usually come from data exports, imports into databases and exchanging tables between programs. People convert them to PDF because a PDF looks the same on every device and is what forms, portals and printers ask for.
In short, CSV is good at what it was made for, and PDF is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. CSV opens in every spreadsheet program and any text editor, while PDF opens in every browser's built-in viewer.
How to convert CSV to PDF on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your CSV files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each PDF is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the CSV files from Finder onto the drop zone and the PDF files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose CSV files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted PDF appears in Files, in the Downloads folder.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose CSV files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The PDF is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for CSV to PDF
There are no settings here; the CSV's own page setup decides the result. A CSV has none, so it is printed with the default setup: A4, portrait, default column widths.
If a wide sheet splits across several pages, open it in a spreadsheet program, set landscape and Fit to page width, save it as XLSX and convert that.
CSV vs PDF: the differences
| CSV | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Comma-separated values | Portable Document Format |
| Type | spreadsheet | document |
| Created by | no single author; standardised in RFC 4180 | Adobe |
| First released | 1972 | 1993 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | n/a | No |
| Animation | n/a | No |
| Vector or raster | n/a | Vector |
| Colour | n/a | any colour, pages can mix text, vectors and images |
| What it holds | one table of plain text values, one row per line | any colour, pages can mix text, vectors and images |
| In a browser | opens in every spreadsheet program and any text editor | opens in every browser's built-in viewer |
| Common uses | data exports, imports into databases and exchanging tables between programs | documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files |
| MIME type | text/csv | application/pdf |
About CSV and PDF files
What is a CSV file?
A CSV file holds a single table as plain text, with commas between values. It has no formatting, formulas or multiple sheets, which is exactly why every program can read it.
What is a PDF file?
A PDF fixes the layout of every page so it looks the same on any device. Converting a PDF to an image renders each page to pixels; converting an image to PDF wraps it as a page.
CSV to PDF not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Compress the images inside the file, or split it, and try again.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex files can pass the 90 second limit. Split the file and convert the parts.
- "This file is not really in CSV format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .csv is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert CSV to PDF from the command line
LibreOffice does the same on your own computer, without opening a window:
soffice --headless --convert-to pdf input.csvConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
CSV to PDF converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting CSV to PDF?
Every value is printed as it appears in the CSV, and the text stays sharp and selectable. The PDF is for reading and printing; it can no longer be sorted or edited as a table.
Why is the PDF a different size from the CSV?
Usually larger than the CSV, because the PDF embeds the font it uses and lays out every page, while a CSV is bare text.
Are my CSV files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful CSV to PDF conversion needs LibreOffice, the open-source office suite, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the PDF as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several CSV files to PDF at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a PDF file?
PDF opens in every browser's built-in viewer. PDF is common for documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files.
Is this CSV to PDF converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert CSV to PDF on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the PDF is saved to your Downloads folder.