What CSV format does Excel use?

Difference Between CSV and Excel

CSV and Excel or .xls are two different file extensions containing data. The difference is that in CSV or comma-separated values, the data is in text format separated by commas. While in Excel or xls., information is in tabular form in rows and columns. Moreover, the CSV file extension has no formatting in data. Whereas in Excel, we can format the data as per our requirement.
Table of Contents Show

Difference Between CSV and Excel
What is CSV (Comma Separated Value)?
What is Excel?
CSV vs Excel Infographics
Key Differences Between CSV and Excel
Comparative Table
Recommended Articles
Is Microsoft Excel CSV the same as CSV?
Is an XLSX file the same as a CSV file?
What is the correct format for a CSV file?
Are CSV files compatible with Excel?

CSV and Excel are two formats developed to store the data in the database and help the business organization carry out their business.

What is CSV (Comma Separated Value)?

CSV is a text file format where comma-separated values store the whole data accordingly. Therefore, CSV data can be easily opened in various text editors like notepad and can be analyzed for fetching and mining the needed details.

CSV File in Notepad

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What is Excel?

In the current era, any corporate professional can hardly sustain without Excel. Excel allows them to do the data storage, processing, analyzing, and exporting in the required manner. Moreover, it is a highly structured and organized file format, specifically developed for the tabular data and to correlate the details from the various independent tables.

Excel data in Microsoft Excel

CSV vs Excel Infographics

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Key Differences Between CSV and Excel

The key differences are as follows: –

The full form of CSV is a comma-separated value, and MS Excel is Microsoft Excel.
The CSV file extension is “.csv,” while the extension of the Excel file is “.xls or .xlsx.”
A CSV file must save the data in plain text format; image-related (JPEG, PNG, JPG, etc.) data is impossible to keep. While Excel is a binary format, all the image-related data is easily saved in Excel format.
CSV is a plain text file. Hence, it is a common file without any standardization or structuring. In comparison, Excel is highly standardized and structured by keeping in mind the requirements of the present corporate world.
CSV files can be opened in any text editor like notepad and MS Excel, while We can open Excel only in MS Excel or google sheetsIn Google Sheets, we may share a link with other users to permit them to read or edit the sheet at the same time, however in Excel, only one person can edit the file at a time.read more.
A CSV file is a plain text file that stores all the data using a comma separator between two data units. Hence, charts are not possible to keep in the CSV format. At the same time, Excel saves the data in binary form and can protect all the data related to graphs.
CSV files cannot be directly linked with external sources. In contrast, we can easily integrate Excel files with external sources. The data extraction can also be directly linked to external sources.
Data analysis and manipulation can be done effectively and in a structured way in Excel, while it cannot do the same in the CSV format as the data in such format cannot be linked with any other data.
It is very easy to store CSV files as their size will always be smaller, while Excel files with an extensive database are very tough to store and maintain, as there is a high chance of getting corrupted or crashing.
CSV files are mostly used by professionals in data analysis or visualizations, while Excel is used by laypeople and professionals based on their requirements and work purposes.

Comparative Table

Basis	CSV	MS Excel
Full-Form	The full form of CSV is comma-separated values.	The full form of MS Excel is Microsoft Excel.
Extension	CSV file having extension denoted as .csv	Excel file having extension denoted as .xls/.xlsx
Launched in	CSV format was released in 2005.	MS Excel was released in 1987.
Saving Table Data	As CSV saves the data in plain text format, it is impossible to keep image-related data.	As Excel saves the data in binary file format can easily store the image data in the same.
Standardization	CSV is just a plain text file. Hence, it is not standardized.	Excel is highly standardized concerning data storage and related workings.
Kind	CSV is a format in which data is stored.	MS Excel is a tool in which information is stored, and data analysis can be carried out.
Platform	We can open CSV files in various text editors and Excel.	We can open Excel files only in MS Excel.
Charts and Images	It saves data in plain text format, but it cannot protect data like the chart.	MS Excel can easily save data like charts.
Linkage with external sources	CSV files cannot link with external data and data updating.	MS Excel files can connect with the external data sources and enable add-ins.
Manipulation	CSV files do not allow any data manipulation.	MS Excel allows all kinds of data manipulation and related data analysis.
Storage	The CSV file requires less storage and can be stored in minimum memory space.	The Excel file requires more storage and high memory space.
Usage	Major use in data analysis and visualization.	Excel is used for day-to-day operations to complex organizational decision-making.
Used By	Professionals use the majority.	They are used by laypeople and professionals based on their requirements.

Conclusion

CSV and Excel are peculiar formats for storing the data and are used by various persons in a vast number. Of course, both have their positive and negative points. But we can judiciously utilize both for data uploading, visualizations, analysis, and manipulation.

Is Microsoft Excel CSV the same as CSV?

xls are two different file extensions containing data. The difference is that in CSV or comma-separated values, the data is in text format separated by commas. While in Excel or xls., information is in tabular form in rows and columns. Moreover, the CSV file extension has no formatting in data.

Is an XLSX file the same as a CSV file?

While Excel (XLS and XLSX) file formats are better for storing more complex data, CSV files are supported by nearly all data upload interfaces. If you are planning to move your data between platforms, export and import it from one interface to another, you might be better off with the CSV file format.

What is the correct format for a CSV file?

CSV , or Comma-separated Values, is an extremely common flat-file format that uses commas as a delimiter between values. Anyone familiar with spreadsheet programs has very likely encountered CSV files before - they're easily consumed by Google Spreadsheet, Microsoft Excel, and countless other applications.

Are CSV files compatible with Excel?

If the file is a .csv file, Excel automatically opens the text file and displays the data in a new workbook. Note: When Excel opens a .csv file, it uses the current default data format settings to interpret how to import each column of data.