Convert TSV to Excel Online
Convert TSV files to Excel format directly in your browser. No upload required — your data never leaves your device.
About converting TSV to Excel
Opening a TSV directly in Excel is where many data problems start. Excel re-parses every cell and converts anything that looks like a date. The best-known case is gene symbols: SEPT2 and MARCH1 turn into 2-Sep and 1-Mar. A 2016 study found this error in about a fifth of papers that shipped gene lists as Excel files, and HGNC later renamed those genes (SEPTIN2, MARCHF1) partly for this reason.
Converting here avoids that. The TSV is parsed with its own type rules, then written to .xlsx with each cell's type already set. Gene symbols, sample IDs and accession numbers are stored as text cells, and Excel does not re-interpret text cells when it opens a workbook. The file has one sheet, Sheet1, with the TSV header in row 1.
The protection lasts only until someone edits a cell. Retyping SEPT2 into a cell with the General format converts it again. Numbers become real number cells, dates are written as text, and empty TSV fields become empty cells. Excel's hard limit is 1,048,576 rows per sheet, which matters for per-variant or per-read tables.
Worked example
A small sample file, converted with the default settings.
Input (TSV)
symbol chrom description tpm detected
TP53 chr17 tumor protein p53 24.7 true
BRCA1 chr17 BRCA1 DNA repair associated 8.13 true
NT5C chr17 5', 3'-nucleotidase, cytosolic 3.4 true
SREBF2 chr22 sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 2 falseOutput (Excel)
Excel workbook, first sheet (Sheet1)
| symbol | chrom | description | tpm | detected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TP53 | chr17 | tumor protein p53 | 24.7 | true |
| BRCA1 | chr17 | BRCA1 DNA repair associated | 8.13 | true |
| NT5C | chr17 | 5', 3'-nucleotidase, cytosolic | 3.4 | true |
| SREBF2 | chr22 | sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 2 | NULL | false |
What changes when you convert TSV to Excel
- The TSV header becomes row 1 of Sheet1, and each TSV line becomes one worksheet row.
- symbol values such as TP53 and BRCA1 are text cells. A symbol like SEPT2 would stay SEPT2 rather than become a date.
- tpm is stored as numeric cells (24.7, 8.13), so sorting and formulas work.
- detected becomes Excel TRUE/FALSE boolean cells.
- SREBF2's missing tpm is an empty cell, not 0 and not the text NA.
- NT5C's long description sits in a single cell. Its commas and apostrophes need no escaping in .xlsx.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this stop Excel turning gene names into dates?
Yes, for the file as written. Symbols are stored as text cells, and Excel leaves text cells alone when it opens an .xlsx. The risk returns if someone retypes a value or pastes new symbols into General-format cells, so format those columns as Text before editing.
Will an NA in my TSV show up in Excel?
Yes, as the text NA. Only empty fields become empty cells. NA also makes its whole column text, so the numbers in that column are stored as text and SUM ignores them. Replace NA with nothing before converting to keep the column numeric.
Why use this instead of Excel's import wizard?
The wizard can mark columns as Text, but you have to do it column by column, every time. Converting here types every column in one step. Text stays text, numbers become numbers, and no value is turned into an Excel date.
What is Excel format?
Excel (XLSX) is Microsoft's spreadsheet format, widely used in business. It supports multiple sheets, formulas, and formatting.
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