# How to Convert JSON to a Spreadsheet You Can Open in Excel, Sheets or Numbers

Canonical: https://filevale.com/guides/convert-json-to-spreadsheet/
Updated: 2026-10-31

> Turn a JSON file into a spreadsheet with one row per object and one column per key, then open it in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers. Runs in your browser.

To convert JSON to a spreadsheet, drop the file into [JSON to Excel](/json-to-excel/) and download an `.xlsx` workbook with one row per object and one column per key. If you would rather have a plain CSV for Google Sheets or a database, [JSON to CSV](/json-to-csv/) does the same job and flattens nested objects into their own columns.

## Which spreadsheet format to pick

Both routes end in a table, but the file you download behaves differently:

- **XLSX** is the Microsoft Excel workbook format, also opened by Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice. Pick it when the spreadsheet is the final destination and you want to double-click it and start working.
- **CSV** is a plain-text table that every spreadsheet, database and programming language can read. Pick it when the data goes on to another system, or when you want to see exactly what each cell contains.

![JSON to CSV in the Filevale iPhone app: a JSON array turned into a CSV with one row per item.](https://filevale.com/assets/app/json-to-csv.webp)

## Convert JSON to an Excel workbook

[Open JSON to Excel](https://filevale.com/json-to-excel/)

1. Open JSON to Excel.
2. Choose your JSON file: drop it on the page or click to browse. You can add several at once.
3. Click **Convert**. Everything happens on your device.
4. Download the XLSX file. You can also pick CSV or a Markdown table as the output and run it again on the same file.

The tool is free with no watermarks, and no sign-up is needed to download. Your JSON is processed in the browser and is not uploaded, which matters when it is a customer export or an API response with private data in it.

## Convert JSON to CSV, with nested data flattened

[Open JSON to CSV](https://filevale.com/json-to-csv/)

API responses rarely stay flat. A user record often has an `address` object inside it, with `city` and `country` inside that. JSON to CSV handles this by turning nested objects into dotted column names, so you get columns such as `address.city` and `address.country` instead of one cell full of brackets.

The steps are the same: choose the file, click **Convert**, download. Besides CSV, the output can be TSV, XLSX, a Markdown table or YAML.

## What shape your JSON needs

A spreadsheet is a grid, so the JSON has to describe rows. These shapes work with JSON to CSV:

- An **array of objects**, such as `[{"name": "Ada", "age": 36}, ...]`, becomes one row per object.
- An **object whose values are such arrays** works too.
- A **single object** becomes one row.

Arrays inside a row (a list of tags, for example) are written as JSON text in their cell rather than spread across extra rows. If you need them split out, that is a job for a script or a spreadsheet formula after the conversion.

If the conversion fails, the file may not be valid JSON at all. Check it with [JSON Formatter](/json-formatter/), which pretty-prints, minifies and checks JSON.

## Opening JSON in Excel or Google Sheets directly

Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows can import JSON through *Data → Get Data → From File → From JSON*, which opens the Power Query editor. It works well, but you have to expand records and lists yourself before the data lands in a sheet. Google Sheets has no menu option for opening a JSON file, so converting to XLSX or CSV first and then using *File → Import* is the simplest route there. Numbers on a Mac also opens XLSX and CSV but not JSON.

## Going the other way

When you have edited the spreadsheet and need JSON again, [Excel to JSON](/excel-to-json/) turns each row into an object keyed by the header row, and [Document Converter](/document-converter/) converts spreadsheets and data files (XLSX, XLS, CSV, TSV, JSON) to each other. For more on keeping data intact on a round trip, see [How to Convert JSON to CSV or Excel (and Back)](/guides/convert-json-csv-excel/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I convert a large JSON file?

Yes, within your device's memory. Tens of thousands of rows convert in seconds on a laptop, and very large files are faster on a computer than on a phone.

### Does it work on my phone?

Yes. The converters run in any modern browser on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows and Chromebook, with nothing to install. You can open the downloaded XLSX in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers on the same device.

### Why does a column show text like [1,2,3] instead of separate values?

That column held an array inside each object. JSON to CSV keeps arrays as JSON text in a single cell so no data is lost. Split the values in your spreadsheet afterwards, or reshape the JSON so each item is its own object before converting.