# CSV, Excel, JSON & XML File Converter — Convert from a Link (`tidydata/spreadsheet-file-converter`) Actor

Convert CSV to Excel, Excel to CSV, JSON to CSV and more: CSV, TSV, Excel (xlsx/xls), JSON, JSON Lines and XML files from a link to any of the others. Clean headers, choose sheet, delimiter and encoding. $2 per 1,000 files, rows included.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/tidydata/spreadsheet-file-converter.md
- **Developed by:** [tidydata](https://apify.com/tidydata) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.60 / 1,000 file converteds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## 🔄 CSV, Excel, JSON, XML Converter

Convert **CSV, TSV, Excel (.xlsx, .xls), JSON, JSON Lines and XML** files from a link into **any of the other formats**. Choose the Excel sheet, the delimiter and the encoding, or let the Actor **detect them**. **$2 per 1,000 files** — rows are included, no per-row charges.

- ✅ Detects delimiters (comma, semicolon, tab, pipe) and encodings (UTF-8, UTF-16, Windows-1252, Latin-1)
- ✅ Excel to CSV/JSON (one sheet, or all sheets together with a `_sheet` column)
- ✅ Nested JSON is flattened into columns
- ✅ Output is saved with a **public link**; the table reports rows and column names
- ✅ Perfect for **automations and data pipelines** that receive messy files

### How to use it

1. Paste links to your files (max 60 MB each).
2. Choose the output format.
3. Run and download the converted files from the links in the results.

### Output example

```json
{
  "sourceUrl": "https://example.com/data.csv",
  "outputUrl": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/…/records/0000-data.xlsx",
  "format": "xlsx", "rows": 249, "columns": ["Name", "Code"], "sheets": []
}
```

### Pricing

**$0.002 per file converted** ($2 per 1,000). Failed files are free.

### Notes

- Formulas in Excel files are read as their saved values.
- Password-protected workbooks are not supported.

# Actor input Schema

## `files` (type: `array`):

Direct links to CSV, TSV, Excel (.xlsx/.xls), JSON, JSON Lines or XML files (max 60 MB each).

## `outputFormat` (type: `string`):

The format of the converted file.

## `sheet` (type: `string`):

For Excel input: a sheet name, a sheet number (1, 2…) or the word all. Empty = first sheet.

## `delimiter` (type: `string`):

Auto detects commas, semicolons and tabs.

## `encoding` (type: `string`):

Auto tries UTF-8, UTF-16, Windows-1252 and Latin-1.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "files": [
    {
      "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/datasets/country-list/master/data.csv"
    }
  ],
  "outputFormat": "xlsx",
  "delimiter": "auto",
  "encoding": "auto"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

One row per result.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "files": [
        {
            "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/datasets/country-list/master/data.csv"
        }
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("tidydata/spreadsheet-file-converter").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "files": [{ "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/datasets/country-list/master/data.csv" }] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("tidydata/spreadsheet-file-converter").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "files": [
    {
      "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/datasets/country-list/master/data.csv"
    }
  ]
}' |
apify call tidydata/spreadsheet-file-converter --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,tidydata/spreadsheet-file-converter"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/dn6YAkBaGrCPzLDdx/builds/Hv1B5oIBnZY3heqBH/openapi.json