Best Methods to Convert XML to CSV Format- Easy Guide

Written By
Suman Rawat
Approved By
Sonika Rawat
Updated on
August 27th, 2025
Read Time
5 minutes

XML files are used to store structured data, especially in applications like APIs, web services, and configurations. Though XML is great for retaining hierarchy and metadata, it often gets complex when it’s about analysis, reports, or database management and imports. In such situations, it becomes necessary to convert XML to CSV, a lightweight, tabular, and easy-to-manage spreadsheet format. In the guide below, explore the essential ways and an XML Converter Tool to save an XML file to Excel CSV.

Download Buy Now

Table of Contents

Real Workflows That Need Users to Change XML to CSV

Other than data analysis, compatibility, performance, and automation, there are many other cases where the CSV format is better. Or, for more accuracy, structured content, and ideal documentation, convert XML File to PDF.

In different sectors, XML and CSV files play different roles, which are discussed as follows:

Use Case Area	Why XML?	Why CSV?
E Commerce	For product feeds and API responses	A Data Analyst can check Price updates and Sales Reports
IT and Cloud Services	Configurations	Quick automation and scripting
Banking and Finance	Transaction and compliance reports	Create BI dashboards that provide better outputs and help in decisions
Healthcare	Patient records	Use in statistical research and ML inputs

When users need something more than just managing the XML structures, they shift to CSV format. This can be done either using a few manual methods or an effective professional tool. Below, we have described all of them in complete detail, and also the benefits and limitations of the same.

Manually Convert XML to CSV

This section is especially for those users who need free conversion solutions. But do remember that:

It’s better to validate the XML schema before conversion to avoid missing tags.
For XML with special characters, use the output CSV with UTF-8 encoding.
Maintain a backup of the XML data, and for recurring tasks, automate scripts.

Now, the step-by-step guide for all the methods is as follows:

Method 1: Using Microsoft Excel

Start the Excel application and open a Blank spreadsheet.
Next, from File, press Open and choose the XML file from your PC.
Further, choose As an XML Table from the pop-up dialog and click OK.
After your data gets displayed, move back to the File to opt for Save As.
Lastly, select the CSV (Comma Delimited) file type, a destination, and hit Save.

Limitation: While usable to transform XML to CSV (a few), it doesn’t work with large and complex XML structures.

Method 2: Through the Online Converter Tool

First, open a converter tool online.
Next, choose to either upload XML, enter a URL, or manually enter XML data.
Finally, define the parameters, choose the CSV option, and then click Convert XML to CSV.

Limitation: This method does not have any data security, is highly unreliable, and cannot keep the data intact. Also, there is a restriction on the capacity of the XML file you can convert.

Method 3: Via Python Scripting

Open Python and paste the following code:

# Importing libraries

import xml.etree.ElementTree as Xet

import pandas as pd

# Defining columns

cols = [“name”, “phone”, “email”, “date”, “country”]

rows = []

# Parsing XML

xmlparse = Xet.parse(‘sample.xml’)

root = xmlparse.getroot()

# Extracting XML data

for i in root:

name = i.find(“name”).text if i.find(“name”) is not None else None

phone = i.find(“phone”).text if i.find(“phone”) is not None else None

email = i.find(“email”).text if i.find(“email”) is not None else None

rows.append({

“name”: name,

“phone”: phone,

“email”: email,

})

# Convert Large XML to CSV

df = pd.DataFrame(rows, columns=cols)

df.to_csv(‘output.csv’, index=False)

Once done, tap Run.

Limitation: The scripting method is too technical and complex for novice users.

How Automated Method Convert XML to CSV?

When users tend to handle large volumes of XML (Extensible Markup Language) files, choosing the dedicated tool is best. SysInfo XML Converter Tool handles 100s of XML files in one go and preserves the data attributes, hierarchies, and more. Additionally, it is speedy and has several custom filters to make the output enhanced for all tech and non-tech users. Moreover, you can use it on any Windows OS and with its free version, convert files of upto 1 MB.

“A financial services company receives daily XML transaction logs of 4GB+ size. Using Excel or Python is impractical, but with a professional XML to CSV Converter Tool, they automate bulk conversion, reducing processing time by almost 60%.”

How to Convert XML File to CSV

First, begin with the download and launch of the XML Conversion Tool.
Then, with the Select buttons, upload XML files and folders.
Click Next and further preview XML data on the default browser via the tool.
Further, select the folders and click Next to proceed with the conversion.
Now, opt for the output Excel CSV file format from the menu.
At last, apply your filters that are relevant, pick Destination, and click on Convert to complete.

Conclusion

Convert XML to CSV helps reduce the gap between hierarchical storage and flat, ready-to-analyze data. While manually manipulating files can work for smaller files, it can be very limiting for bigger or more complex requirements. For professionals working with larger XML records, an automation tool provides the benefit of speed, accuracy, and the foundation for future reliability.

FAQ

Q. Can I convert XML files to CSV without using MS Excel?

Ans- Yes. You can use the professional XML File Converter that will directly transform XML to CSV.

Q. What is the best way to convert large XML to CSV?

Ans- Again, using a dedicated XML to Excel CSV Converter will be the best way to go for larger or complicated files, without limitations.

Rate this post

About The Author:

Suman Rawat

Suman Rawat is a technical content writer and expert in the fields of email migration, data recovery, and email backup. Her passion for helping people has led her to resolve many user queries related to data conversion and cloud backup.

Best Methods to Convert XML to CSV Format- Easy Guide