Kage LabHow to convert a web table to CSV
CSV is the simplest way to move a table between tools: almost every database, CRM and spreadsheet can import it. Creating one from a web table is easy. Opening it correctly afterwards is where most people get caught out.
Method 1: Via a spreadsheet
- Get the table into Excel or Google Sheets (see copying a table into Excel).
- In Excel: File → Save As, and choose CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited). Plain "CSV" can garble non-English characters.
- In Google Sheets: File → Download → Comma-separated values (.csv). It saves only the current tab.
Method 2: Download the CSV directly
A table extension can skip the spreadsheet step. With TableHop, open the page, click the icon, pick the table and click CSV. In its settings you can choose comma, semicolon or tab as the separator, and it adds the "UTF-8 marker" Excel needs to show accents correctly.
The three classic CSV problems, and fixes
1. Everything appears in one column
Excel uses your computer's regional settings to decide what separates columns. In much of Europe it expects a semicolon, not a comma, so a comma-separated file opens as one long column.
- Save the file with semicolons instead (TableHop: Settings → CSV separator → Semicolon), or
- In Excel use Data → From Text/CSV, which lets you pick the separator.
2. Accents or Asian characters look like é or ???
The file is in UTF-8 but Excel opened it as an older encoding. Fixes:
- Save as CSV UTF-8 in Excel, or use a tool that adds the UTF-8 marker (byte order mark).
- Open it through Data → From Text/CSV and set File origin to 65001: Unicode (UTF-8).
3. Leading zeros and long numbers are damaged
Double-clicking a CSV makes Excel guess each column's type, so 00451 becomes 451 and 16-digit account numbers turn into 1.23457E+15. The CSV itself is fine; Excel changes the values as it opens it.
- Import with Data → From Text/CSV → Transform Data, select the column and set its type to Text.
- Or download as a real .xlsx file instead of CSV. TableHop's Excel button keeps IDs with leading zeros as text automatically.
CSV or Excel file?
| Use CSV when… | Use .xlsx when… |
|---|---|
| Importing into another system (CRM, database, accounting software) | A person will open and work with it |
| You need the simplest possible format | You want dates, numbers and leading zeros to stay exactly right |
| The tool asks for CSV | You want formatting, a frozen header or filters |
A free extension for Chrome and Edge that copies any web table into Excel, CSV or Google Sheets – columns intact. It works on your computer and never sends your data anywhere. See how it works.