Convert tab delimited file to comma delimited (csv) file on Windows

CSVFileView is a freeware tool that allows you to easily open and view tab-delimited file, and also export the file to comma-delimited/html/xml/JSON file , without need of any installation.
The CSVFileView software is just small standalone .exe file (CSVFileView.exe) that you can put in any folder you want and run it.

In order to convert tab delimited to comma delimited file, first you have to open the tab delimited file in CSVFileView, using one of the following methods:

  1. Go to the File menu, choose 'Open CSV\Tab-Delimited File' (or simply press Ctrl+O), and then from the open dialog-box, choose the tab-delimited file to open.
  2. You can copy the tab-delimited string to the clipboard and then use the 'Open Text In Clipboard' option (Ctrl+F7).
  3. Drag the tab delimited file from Windows Explorer into the main window of CSVFileView.

After opening the tab-delimited file in CSVFileView, here's how to convert it to csv file:
  1. Select one or more lines you want to convert, or simply press Ctrl+A to select all lines.
  2. Open the File menu and choose 'Save Selected Items', or simply press Ctrl+S.

    Convert tab-delimited to csv

  3. From the 'Save as type' combo-box select 'Comma Delimited Text File' and ,choose or type the filename to save, and then click the 'Save' button.

    Save tab-delimited as csv

CSVFileView also allows you to convert tab-delimited to comma-delimited file from command line.
For example, the following command converts tab-delimited.txt to converted-file.csv
CSVFileView.exe /load "c:\temp\tab-delimited.txt" /scomma "c:\temp\converted-file.csv"

Finally, here's the description of important options that you may need when using CSVFileView to open and convert files:
  • Options -> Unicode/Ascii Save Mode : Allows you to control the encoding of the saved tab-delimited file - ASCII, UTF-8, or UTF-16
  • Options -> Unicode/Ascii Default Open Mode: Allows you to control the encoding of the opened comma-delimited file - ASCII, UTF-8, or UTF-16.
  • Options -> First Line Contains Column Names : If the first line of your comma-delimited file contain the name of fields/columns, then you should turn on this option. If there is no line with field names, you should turn it off.
  • Options -> Allow MultiLine Fields : If the files you open contain fields with multiple lines, you should turn on this option.