CSV to YAML Converter

Convert a CSV file to YAML — each row becomes a YAML mapping in a sequence.

CSV input

or drop a file here

YAML output

-
  name: Alice
  age: 30
  city: New York
  active: true
-
  name: Bob
  age: 25
  city: London
  active: false
-
  name: Carol
  age: 35
  city: Tokyo
  active: true

How CSV to YAML conversion works

The first row of your CSV is used as field names (keys). Each subsequent row becomes a YAML mapping under a sequence dash (-). Numbers, booleans (true/false), and null values are auto-detected; strings containing special YAML characters are quoted.

To convert YAML back to CSV, try YAML to JSON then JSON to CSV. To convert CSV to JSON directly, use CSV to JSON Converter.

Built and maintained by Meet Shah · Last updated 9 August 2026

What this tool is used for

Turning a spreadsheet of records into a YAML list for a config or a fixture.
Producing a readable structured file from tabular data.
Converting a data extract for a tool that consumes YAML.
Generating seed data in a format that supports comments.
Comparing tabular data against an existing YAML structure.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the CSV parsed?: As a whole document, not line by line. Splitting on newlines first is the standard mistake: RFC 4180 allows a newline INSIDE a quoted field, so a naive split tears one record into two and every column after it shifts. This parser tracks quoting state, so a multi-line address survives intact.
Are values converted to real types?: Yes — `true`/`false` in any case become YAML booleans, anything numeric becomes a number, and an empty cell becomes `null`. That is usually what you want, and it is also why a ZIP code like `01234` comes out as 1234 and a version string `1.10` becomes 1.1.
When does a value get quoted in the output?: Whenever it contains a YAML metacharacter — `:`, `#`, brackets, braces, `&`, `*`, `?`, `|`, `<`, `>`, `=`, `!`, `%`, a backtick or a quote — or has leading/trailing whitespace or a newline. Those characters change what a YAML line means, so quoting them is what keeps the output parseable.
What structure does the YAML come out as?: A list of mappings, one per data row, with the header row supplying the keys. That is the shape that round-trips back to CSV and the one most config loaders expect. A CSV has no way to express nesting, so nothing deeper can honestly be inferred from it.
Why does my CSV need a header row?: Because YAML mappings need keys and a CSV's only source of them is the first row. Without it the tool has nothing to name the fields, so it reports an error rather than inventing `col1`, `col2` — names that would be wrong in a way you would have to undo by hand later.

Common errors and gotchas

Letting a value be reinterpreted by YAML's implicit typing, so `yes`, `null` or `1.10` change meaning.
Assuming the header row makes valid YAML keys, where spaces and punctuation need quoting.
Losing the difference between an empty field and an absent one.
Producing very long lines that YAML folds, which alters the string unless the block style is chosen.
Overlooking embedded newlines in quoted CSV fields, which need a block scalar to survive.