Extract Tail of Parquet Files Online
Extract the last N rows from Parquet files directly in your browser. Choose how many rows to keep and download the result — no upload required.
How to extract Tail of Parquet files
- Drop your file onto the upload area. The total row count is shown and the first 200 rows are previewed.
- Enter how many rows to keep from the end in the Number of rows box. The default is 100.
- Click Extract Last Rows. The preview switches to the final rows of the file, in their original order.
- Click Download to save them in the same format you uploaded, with _tail added to the file name.
Your file is processed locally in your browser and is never uploaded. The free limit is 50 MB per file; larger files work if your device has the memory for them.
Worked example
A leisure centre appends every member check-in to a single export. The front desk manager only wants the two most recent visits to check a disputed entry.
Input (Parquet)
Parquet file (binary, columnar) — shown as a table with its schema
| member_id | check_in_date | branch | minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| M-2031 | 2026-08-28 | Riverside | 55 |
| M-1177 | 2026-08-29 | Old Town | 40 |
| M-2031 | 2026-08-30 | Riverside | 62 |
| M-0948 | 2026-08-31 | Riverside | NULL |
| M-1177 | 2026-09-01 | Old Town | 35 |
| M-3310 | 2026-09-01 | Riverside | 90 |
Schema: member_id VARCHAR, check_in_date DATE, branch VARCHAR, minutes BIGINT
Settings
- Number of rows: 2
Result
| member_id | check_in_date | branch | minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| M-1177 | 2026-09-01 | Old Town | 35 |
| M-3310 | 2026-09-01 | Riverside | 90 |
The file has six rows, so the tool skips the first four and keeps rows five and six. They stay in file order, oldest first, rather than being reversed. The tool does not look at check_in_date at all. It only works because new check-ins were appended to the bottom of the file.
Working with Parquet files
In a Parquet file, the last rows are the last rows of the final row group. When a file was produced by combining partitions or by a parallel writer, that is not necessarily the most recent data. Look at a timestamp column in the result before you treat it as the latest records.
The result is saved as Parquet with the source schema intact, including decimal precision, timestamp columns and nested types. The tool still loads every row of the source into memory before it can skip to the end. A multi-gigabyte Parquet file therefore needs the same browser memory for a tail of 10 rows as it would for a full conversion. If you need the newest rows by time rather than by position, sort the file by its timestamp column first and then take the tail. Or sort descending and use Head instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is tail faster on Parquet than on CSV?
Loading Parquet is usually faster because it is binary and typed, but the tool still reads the whole file before taking the last rows. It does not jump straight to the final row group.
Will my Parquet timestamps keep their fractional seconds?
Yes, down to microseconds. Timestamp columns stay timestamp columns in the output file, not text.
Are the last rows returned newest first?
No. They keep the order they have in the file. The last row of the file is the last row of the result.
Does Tail sort by date before taking the last rows?
No. It uses file position only. To get the latest N records by a date column, sort by that column first and then take the tail, or use the Sort tool followed by Head.
What if N is larger than the number of rows?
You get the whole file. An empty or non-numeric value falls back to 100. 0 and negative numbers are treated as 1, so you always get at least one row.
Related Tools
Sort Parquet Files Online
Sort Parquet files by any column, ascending or descending, directly in your browser.
Filter Parquet Files Online
Filter rows in Parquet files by column value, directly in your browser. Your data stays on your device.
Extract Head of Parquet Files Online
Extract the first N rows from Parquet files directly in your browser. Choose how many rows to keep and download the result — no upload required.
Extract Tail of CSV Files Online
Extract the last N rows from CSV files directly in your browser. Choose how many rows to keep and download the result — no upload required.
Extract Tail of Excel Files Online
Extract the last N rows from Excel files directly in your browser. Choose how many rows to keep and download the result — no upload required.
Extract Tail of JSON Files Online
Extract the last N rows from JSON files directly in your browser. Choose how many rows to keep and download the result — no upload required.
Parquet Viewer Online
View and inspect Parquet files directly in your browser. Browse rows, check column names and data types — no upload required, your data stays on your device.
Convert Parquet to CSV Online
Convert Parquet files to CSV format directly in your browser. No upload required — your data never leaves your device.