Excel & CSV to Markdown Table

What it does

Markdown tables are the standard way to put a table in a README, a GitHub issue or pull request, a wiki page, or a note in Obsidian or Notion. Typing one by hand means lining up vertical bars and dashes for every row, and a single missing bar breaks the whole table.

This markdown table generator does the typing for you. Copy a range of cells in Excel or Google Sheets and paste it, or paste the contents of a CSV file. The separator is detected automatically (tab for spreadsheet copies, comma or semicolon for CSV), cells with more than one line are kept together as one cell, and short rows are filled with empty cells so every row has the same number of columns. Columns of numbers are right-aligned automatically, you can choose left, center or right for any column, and the table updates as you go, with a rendered preview underneath.

Your cells are treated as data, not formatting. A vertical bar inside a cell is escaped so it cannot split the column, a line break becomes <br>, and characters that markdown would otherwise read as formatting, such as *asterisks* or <tags>, are escaped only in the cells where they would change what is shown. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you paste is uploaded or stored.

How to use it

1. Select the cells in Excel or Google Sheets and copy them (Ctrl+C, or Cmd+C on Mac), or open a CSV file in a text editor and copy its contents.
2. Paste into the box. The markdown table and the preview appear straight away.
3. Turn off First row is the header if your first row is data. Columns of numbers are already right-aligned; change any column's alignment if you want it left, centered or right.
4. Press Copy markdown and paste the table into your README, issue, wiki or note.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert an Excel table to markdown?

Select the cells in Excel, copy them, and paste them into the box. Excel copies cells as tab-separated text, which is read into rows and columns, and the markdown table is ready to copy. Cells that contain line breaks are kept intact because Excel wraps them in quotes, which this tool understands.

Does it work with Google Sheets and CSV files?

Yes. Google Sheets copies cells the same way Excel does, so copying and pasting a range works directly. For a CSV file, paste its text: commas and semicolons are both detected, quoted values that contain commas or line breaks stay in one cell, and you can choose the separator yourself if the automatic choice is wrong.

How do I align columns in a markdown table?

Alignment is set with colons in the line of dashes under the header: :--- for left, :---: for center and ---: for right. Plain --- with no colons leaves the choice to the renderer, which is usually left. Columns that contain only numbers (such as 1,200, 12.50, -3 or 45%) are right-aligned automatically so the digits line up; every other column starts as Default, and you can change any column in the Column alignment list.

What happens to vertical bars and line breaks inside cells?

A vertical bar is written as \| so it shows as a bar instead of starting a new column. A line break inside a cell is written as <br>, because a markdown table row has to stay on one line; GitHub and most other renderers show it as a line break inside the cell.

What is the difference between Line up columns and compact output?

Both render exactly the same table. Line up columns pads every cell with spaces so the vertical bars line up in the raw text, which makes the table easy to read and edit later. Compact output leaves out the padding, which keeps the text short and makes changes easier to review in a diff.

Is my data uploaded anywhere?

No. The table is read and converted entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, nothing is stored, and there is no account. To go the other way, from a markdown table to Excel or Google Sheets, use AI Table to Excel & Google Sheets.