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How to convert XLSX to CSV on a Mac

Convert Excel files to CSV on a Mac with the free Numbers app, with Excel for Mac, or in Safari without installing anything.

Updated October 2026

A Mac can convert XLSX to CSV without Microsoft Excel. Numbers, Apple's free spreadsheet app, opens Excel files and exports them as CSV. If you do have Excel for Mac, it works much like it does on Windows. Here are both, plus a no-install option.

Convert XLSX to CSV with Numbers (free)

1. In Finder, right-click (or Control-click) the .xlsx file and choose Open With › Numbers. Numbers converts the workbook as it opens. If it lists changes it made, such as unsupported formulas, read them and click OK.
2. Click File › Export To › CSV.
3. Choose whether to create a separate file for each table or one combined file. Each Excel sheet usually becomes one table, so "a file for each table" gives you one CSV per sheet.
4. Leave Include table names unchecked if the CSV is going into another program. It adds an extra line at the top of the file.
5. Click Advanced Options and make sure Text Encoding is Unicode (UTF-8).
6. Click Save, name the file, choose where to save it, and click Export. With several tables you'll get a folder of CSV files.

Convert XLSX to CSV with Excel for Mac

1. Open the workbook in Excel and click the sheet you want to save.
2. Click File › Save As.
3. Set File Format to CSV UTF-8 (Comma-delimited) (.csv).
4. Click Save. Excel warns that it can save only the active sheet. Confirm, then repeat for any other sheets.

Avoid "Comma Separated Values (.csv)" and "MS-DOS Comma Separated" unless an old system asks for them. They use older encodings that can turn accented letters into question marks. Our Excel guide explains the difference.

Convert in Safari, Chrome or Firefox

xlsxtocsv.com works in any up-to-date Mac browser. Drop the .xlsx file onto the page, check the preview and download a CSV, or all sheets at once as a zip. The conversion runs on your Mac, so the file is never uploaded, and you don't need Numbers or Excel installed.

Mac-specific things to know

• Line endings. Windows files end each line with two characters (CRLF), Mac and Linux with one (LF). Almost every program reads both. If one is fussy, our converter lets you choose.
• Opening the CSV again. Double-clicking a .csv usually opens it in Numbers, which shows it correctly. Excel for Mac may drop leading zeros or garble accents. See how to fix that.
• Quick Look. Select a CSV in Finder and press the space bar for a quick preview, without opening any app.