About this tool
Markdown tables live inside documents, not databases. When you want to reuse the data they hold — for analysis, for testing, for import into another system — you need plain CSV. Manual rewriting is slow and mistake-prone.
DataFmt's Markdown to CSV tool detects the first Markdown table in whatever text you paste in, strips the surrounding prose, restores escaped pipes and `<br>` line breaks, and outputs a clean CSV that is ready for Excel, scripts or any other CSV-aware tool.
You can paste an entire document; we will find the first valid table. For additional tables, paste each table block separately.
How to use
- Paste text containing a Markdown table, or upload a .md file.
- Click "Convert" to see the CSV on the right.
- Use "Download" to save the result as a .csv file.
Use cases
- Export a feature-comparison table from a README into Excel for further analysis.
- Move API field descriptions from documentation into a QA test-case sheet.
- Pull structured details out of GitHub Issues for quick reporting.
Notes
- The input must contain at least a header row and a separator row (such as `| --- | --- |`) to be recognised as a table.
- If multiple tables are present, only the first one is converted.
- `<br>` tags inside cells are restored to newlines, and the cell is wrapped in quotes to keep the CSV valid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the tool recognise every Markdown table?
Tables that follow the GFM specification (header row + separator row + data rows, each starting and ending with `|`) are supported. Exotic extensions with merged cells are not standard GFM and are not supported yet.
Why can't the tool find my table?
Check that the separator row consists of `-` and optional `:` characters (e.g. `| --- | :---: |`), every row starts with `|` and every row has the same number of columns.
Is the header preserved?
Yes. The first line of the resulting CSV is the header taken straight from the Markdown table.
What if my document also has code fences?
If your fenced code blocks contain something that looks like a table, remove or indent them first so they are not mistaken for the target table.
What does this tool actually do with my data?
It parses the Markdown locally and displays the result. No network requests, no cookies, no local storage.