CSV to XML

Convert CSV rows into structured XML records.

Root Element

Row Element

CSV Input

or drop a file here

XML Output

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rows>
  <row>
    <id>1</id>
    <name>Ada Lovelace</name>
    <role>Mathematician</role>
  </row>
  <row>
    <id>2</id>
    <name>Alan Turing</name>
    <role>Computer Scientist</role>
  </row>
</rows>

Converting CSV into XML

This converter reads the first CSV line as a header and turns every following row into an XML record, using each column name as a child tag. Field values are XML-escaped so characters like &, <, and quotes stay valid. Quoted CSV fields containing commas or escaped quotes are parsed correctly. Conversion happens entirely in your browser.

Built and maintained by Meet Shah · Last updated 28 July 2026

What this tool is used for

Producing XML records from a spreadsheet export for a legacy integration.
Generating an XML feed from tabular data.
Converting a data extract for a system that only ingests XML.
Producing an XML fixture from real rows.
Migrating tabular reference data into an XML-based pipeline.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do the element names come from?: The header row, sanitised — XML names cannot contain spaces or most punctuation and cannot begin with a digit, so `Order ID` becomes `Order_ID` and `2024` becomes `_2024`. A header with duplicate names produces duplicate elements, which is legal but ambiguous.
Why does my ampersand break the output?: It should not — `&` is escaped to `&` along with `<`, `>`, `"` and `'`. If a downstream parser still complains, the input probably contains a control character: XML 1.0 forbids most of them outright, and no escaping makes them legal.
Should the values be elements or attributes?: Elements, which is what this produces. Attributes cannot repeat, cannot nest, and have no natural place for a multi-line value — so a column that later gains structure would force a rewrite. Attributes suit metadata such as an id.
Do I need a root element?: Yes — an XML document must have exactly one, so the rows are wrapped. That wrapper is also where a namespace declaration goes if the consumer expects one.
Is XML still worth targeting?: Where the consumer requires it: SOAP services, RSS, government and banking formats, InDesign and Office documents. For a new integration JSON is lighter — but XML's schema validation and namespaces are genuinely better when a contract must be enforced.
What happens when a header is not a valid element name?: It has to be sanitised — XML names cannot start with a digit or contain spaces, so `2024 Total` becomes something like `_2024_Total`. That renaming is silent and is why generated XML sometimes fails a schema check.

Common errors and gotchas

Using column headers as element names when they contain spaces or start with a digit, which are invalid XML names.
Forgetting to escape ampersands and angle brackets that appear in cell values.
Producing records with no wrapping root element, which is not a well-formed document.
Assuming types survive. XML text content is text, whatever the column looked like.
Overlooking embedded newlines in quoted CSV fields, which break a line-based conversion.