How do I choose the widths for a fixed width file?

Count the positions reserved for each column, including its padding. For a name column 10 positions wide, quantity 5 positions wide and note 20 positions wide, enter 10, 5, 20. Paste the original text without removing its padding first. The header can use the same widths. Widths are counted in text positions; a supplementary Unicode character such as an emoji occupies two positions, so inspect those records before export.

How is fixed width different from space-delimited text?

Fixed width splits at the positions you specify. A field such as Ada Lee can contain spaces without becoming several columns. Space-delimited mode splits on each space, and Any run of spaces splits on runs of spaces or tabs. Use the main Text to CSV page for those delimiter-based inputs.

What happens if a line is shorter or longer than the widths?

A short line keeps the text it contains and is reported. Text beyond the total width becomes an additional CSV field rather than being discarded. In delimiter mode, Pad short rows can add empty fields; fixed width slicing already creates a field for every specified width. Check the row issues before importing the CSV, because a shifted report can still be split at the widths you entered.

Can I preserve column padding or turn it into clean cell values?

Trim the spaces around each field is on by default. It removes leading and trailing whitespace after splitting while preserving spaces inside a value. Switch it off to keep the original padding. Commas, quotes and line breaks are quoted when needed for CSV, and you can choose LF or CRLF line endings.

Can I convert large reports or several files at once?

Paste one source at a time. One pass accepts up to 2,000,000 input text units, 200,000 rows and 1,000 columns, and writes up to 2,000,000 output text units. A column width may be at most 10,000. The displayed CSV preview stops at 50,000 text units while Copy and Download contain the whole accepted output. There is no folder or batch converter and no fixed width output writer.

Fixed Width to CSV Converter

Paste a fixed-position report and enter the width of each column in order. Fixed width mode is already selected, so spaces inside a name or description remain in that field. Inspect the reported short lines and extra fields, then copy or download the comma-separated CSV. No file upload or account is required.

textwidths 10, 5, 20

The CSV appears here as soon as there is text to convert.

Rows

Waiting

Columns

Waiting

Input

Fixed width

Header

First row

Paste your text into the first box and the CSV appears in the second. It is converted in this tab and nothing is uploaded.

How the text is read

The fields come from a setting, never from a guess: a delimiter you pick, or column widths you type. Nothing is sorted, deduplicated or reordered on the way through.

How the text is read

Fields are taken by

Fixed width cuts each line at the widths instead of looking for a character.

Column widthsWidths in characters, separated by commas or spaces. Text left over past the last width becomes one more field, and a line that stops before the widths run out is listed rather than quietly emptied.

The first rowThe first row holds the column namesIt sets the column count every other row is measured against, and it is written out as the first line of the CSV. With this off no names are invented.

SpacesTrim the spaces around each fieldOn to start, which is what fixed width columns need. Switch it off to keep every field exactly as it was typed.

Blank lines

How many were left out is counted in the line under the readout.

How the CSV is written

The file that comes out is comma separated and quoted by RFC 4180: a field holding a comma, a double quote, a carriage return or a line feed is wrapped in double quotes, and its own quotes are doubled.

How the CSV is written

QuotingQuote every fieldOff, only the fields that need it are quoted. On, every field is wrapped, which some older importers prefer. Both are valid CSV.

Rows that are too shortPad short rows to the column countOff to start. A padded row is still listed below the readout, and a row with too many fields is never cut to fit.

Spreadsheet formulasPut an apostrophe before a formulaA field starting with =, +, - or @ is stored as text rather than run by the spreadsheet. A plain number such as -5 is left alone.

Line endings

RFC 4180 specifies CRLF, which Excel on Windows expects. LF is the plainer file and is read by everything else. There is no line break after the last row.

Worked examples

Tab separated3 columns, quoted where needed
Wrench,2,"8mm, steel"
Fixed widthWidths 10, 5, 20, columns cut at the widths
Wrench,2,"8mm, steel"
Ragged line2 fields not 3, the row flagged and kept
Hammer,1

The text and the settings are remembered in this browser alone, so they are still here when you come back. Start over, above the tool, forgets them. A paste longer than 20,000 characters is converted in full but is not written to storage. One pass reads up to 2,000,000 characters and writes up to 200,000 rows and 1,000 columns.

Accuracy. Exact conversion under the settings you choose, quoted by RFC 4180 so a comma or a quotation mark inside a field survives. A line that does not fit the column count is reported rather than silently dropped or padded.

Common questions

How do I choose the widths for a fixed width file?: Count the positions reserved for each column, including its padding. For a name column 10 positions wide, quantity 5 positions wide and note 20 positions wide, enter 10, 5, 20. Paste the original text without removing its padding first. The header can use the same widths. Widths are counted in text positions; a supplementary Unicode character such as an emoji occupies two positions, so inspect those records before export.
How is fixed width different from space-delimited text?: Fixed width splits at the positions you specify. A field such as Ada Lee can contain spaces without becoming several columns. Space-delimited mode splits on each space, and Any run of spaces splits on runs of spaces or tabs. Use the main <a href="/text-to-csv">Text to CSV page</a> for those delimiter-based inputs.
What happens if a line is shorter or longer than the widths?: A short line keeps the text it contains and is reported. Text beyond the total width becomes an additional CSV field rather than being discarded. In delimiter mode, Pad short rows can add empty fields; fixed width slicing already creates a field for every specified width. Check the row issues before importing the CSV, because a shifted report can still be split at the widths you entered.
Can I preserve column padding or turn it into clean cell values?: Trim the spaces around each field is on by default. It removes leading and trailing whitespace after splitting while preserving spaces inside a value. Switch it off to keep the original padding. Commas, quotes and line breaks are quoted when needed for CSV, and you can choose LF or CRLF line endings.
Can I convert large reports or several files at once?: Paste one source at a time. One pass accepts up to 2,000,000 input text units, 200,000 rows and 1,000 columns, and writes up to 2,000,000 output text units. A column width may be at most 10,000. The displayed CSV preview stops at 50,000 text units while Copy and Download contain the whole accepted output. There is no folder or batch converter and no fixed width output writer.

Exact conversion under the settings you choose, quoted by RFC 4180 so a comma or a quotation mark inside a field survives. A line that does not fit the column count is reported rather than silently dropped or padded.