I converted JSON to CSV, but Excel shows each row in one column. Should I pick semicolon?

Why Excel ignores the commas in your file

CSV stands for comma-separated values, yet Excel does not always split on a comma. It takes its list separator from the Windows region and language settings. Where decimals are written with a comma, as in 45,50 rather than 45.50, the list separator becomes a semicolon, because the comma is already taken by fractions.

So the same file opens neatly on a colleague's laptop and shows up as one block on yours, with nothing wrong in the data. The fix is not to edit the data but to match the delimiter to the machine that will open it.

A worked example: a price with a decimal comma

Say you have a product with SKU A1 and a price stored as the text '45,50'. With the default delimiter, a comma, the tool writes:

sku,price A1,"45,50"

The price is wrapped in quotes so the comma inside it does not split the cell. Switch to 'Semicolon (;)' and the output becomes:

sku;price A1;45,50

No quotes are needed now, because a comma inside the price means nothing to the file. On a computer whose list separator is the semicolon, Excel opens this in two columns, sku and price, with 45,50 kept in its cell.

Steps in the converter

1. Open the CSV and JSON converter and choose the direction 'JSON to CSV'.
2. Paste your JSON or open a JSON file.
3. In the 'Delimiter' list, pick 'Semicolon (;)'.
4. Keep 'Add a UTF-8 BOM to the downloaded file' ticked if the data has Arabic names.
5. Download the file and double-click it to open in Excel.

How to tell which delimiter you need

The quickest test is to try both: download one copy with commas and one with semicolons, then open each. Whichever splits into columns suits that computer. If the file is going to an accountant or supplier abroad, ask what they see, since the setting belongs to the machine, not to the file.

If the file will be uploaded to a system or platform rather than opened in Excel, follow that system's import instructions. Many importers expect commas and may reject semicolons.

Alternatives when you cannot change the delimiter

• In Excel you can import the file from the Data tab with 'From Text/CSV' and choose the delimiter yourself, instead of double-clicking it.
• If you receive a semicolon-separated file and want JSON from it, leave the delimiter on 'Auto-detect' in the 'CSV to JSON' direction and the tool recognises the semicolon on its own.
• 'Tab' is a middle ground: business data rarely contains a tab character, so it clashes with neither decimal commas nor addresses.

To check the shape of your JSON before converting, tidy it first in the JSON formatter and validator so every field is easy to see.