Best Ways to Open CSV File on Mac Without Excel – Top Tips

Do you want to open CSV on Mac but prefer not to use Excel? When you double-click the CSV file, it typically opens in Excel. However, there are many alternative methods to open CSV file without Excel and with utmost ease. The blog discusses some of them to open CSV without the need for heavy spreadsheet software like Excel. You can also install a professional CSV to VCF Converter to open CSV conveniently. Also, these tools are more reliable than the manual process.

Understanding CSV Files

Before we learn how to open CSV file on Mac without Excel, here is a quick brief of the topic. CSV is short for Comma Separated Values. It has a simple structure and is a widely used file format for storing tabular data in plain text. So, they can be easily created and edited using text editors. Each line of CSV shows a single record and each field is separated by commas, which are the default delimiters. This file format is used to share data between different applications when dealing with spreadsheets and databases.

Why Open CSV on Mac Without Excel?

There are several reasons why you might want to open CSV files on your Mac without using Excel or similar spreadsheet software:

• You might not have Excel installed on your computer, so you need another program to work with the data.
• Excel can use a lot of your computer’s resources, especially with big CSV files.
• Besides Excel, you might need different software made for analyzing, changing, or working with data.
• CSV files are simple text files, so you can open them with any text editor on your Mac, not just Excel.

Besides this, there can be many other reasons why users search for how to open CSV on Mac. Further, let us look at the procedure section.

How to Open CSV Files on Mac Without Excel? – Manual Methods

Here are three easy methods to open CSV files on your Mac without Excel. You can choose any one of the following as per your convenience and needs. Let us start.

Method 1: Using the Numbers App

The first procedure includes using the Numbers app, which is already installed on Mac. Thus, you don’t need to install it. This tool provides a friendly user interface, so you can effortlessly view and modify CSV files. Follow the steps below to open CSV file without Excel:

1. Launch the Numbers application on your Mac.
2. Now, navigate to the File menu >> click on Export To >> choose CSV.
3. After that, opt the Advanced option >> UTF-8 for Text Encoding.
4. Lastly, set the file path and click Export.

Method 2: Viewing with TextEdit

TextEdit is the default text editor on macOS. Another way to open CSV without Excel is by using the TextEdit app. Do as the steps follow:

1. Open TextEdit on your Mac.
2. Go to File >> Open (or directly use Command+O).
3. A dialog box opens. Now, locate your CSV file and select it.
4. From the drop-down menu, choose Plain text encoding. Click Open.

Method 3: Open CSV on Mac Using Google Sheets

You can also open CSV files using Google Sheets. Google Sheets, are an online spreadsheet application provided by Google Drive. To open a CSV file using Google Sheets, simply follow the steps below:

1. Log in to your Google account > open Google Sheets.
2. To Start a new spreadsheet, click on the blank sheet.
3. Now, click on File and then on Import.
4. In the upload section, browse CSV files (or drag and drop).
5. Again, click on the Import Data button.
6. Now, you can see your CSV file will open on Google Sheets.

Hence, you can now open CSV file on Mac without using Excel. However, another alternative method is to convert CSV to other formats and view it without needing a specific platform. Let us discuss it in detail.

Professional Solution to Open CSV on Mac Without Excel

The best solution to view CSV files on Mac is to convert CSV files to VCF or PDF format. It requires no specific platform to open CSV files. You can convert CSV to VCF or PDF manually as well as using DRS CSV to PDF Converter. PDF files are versatile and platform-independent format, so you can easily access your CSV file on Mac. Using this tool, you can batch convert CSV to PDF as well as VCF files.

Follow the process as mentioned below to convert CSV into PDF format:

1. Launch the CSV File Converter on your system.
2. Add a single CSV file or an entire folder containing multiple CSVs.
3. At the bottom, select options: PDF/vCard as saving format. Click Next.
4. On the next panel, choose Orientation of the pages of PDF.
5. You also create a password and choose a saving path for the resultant file.
6. Lastly, click on Convert to save CSV files into PDF.

Related Post: Download Demo Version of CSV to VCF Converter.

Conclusion

Thus, in this blog, we have discussed all possible solutions to open CSV on Mac. With these simple methods, you can effortlessly view and work with your CSV data without Excel. However, you might find some differences in manual and professional methods. But, it is always recommended to use professional tools to get satisfying results. Keep in mind, that converting CSV to PDF has multiple advantages over any other procedure.

Frequently Asked Questions