Text Tools

Convert Arbitrary Delimited Text Columns to Rows Guide

Learn when to use Convert Arbitrary Delimited Text Columns to Rows, how to use it correctly, and how to avoid common mistakes.

What this guide covers

Use this tool to turn column-oriented arbitrary delimited text into row-oriented output. It is useful when custom-separated data is arranged horizontally and needs to become vertical for review, import, or reporting.

This guide explains when to use Convert Arbitrary Delimited Text Columns to Rows, how to get a cleaner result, and which mistakes to avoid before moving on to related tools or the main tool page.

Why use Convert Arbitrary Delimited Text Columns to Rows

Turn column-oriented custom-delimited text into rows
Work with non-CSV and non-TSV separators
Make wide flat tables easier to review
Prepare custom-delimited data for vertical analysis
Work directly in the browser

How to use Convert Arbitrary Delimited Text Columns to Rows

Put the delimiter on the first line
Leave a blank line
Paste the delimited text below
Run the tool to transpose it
Review the rows-based output

Best use cases

Turning horizontal pipe-separated fields into rows
Cleaning wide custom exports into vertical tables
Preparing custom-delimited text for row-based review
Reorganizing compact flat layouts
Flipping custom-separated tables for reports

Common mistakes

Using more than one character as the delimiter

Fix: Use a single-character delimiter.

Uneven input rows create blank values

Fix: Check the source text because shorter rows will produce empty cells.

Choosing the wrong delimiter

Fix: Make sure the input really uses the delimiter you entered.

Use the tool

Ready to run Convert Arbitrary Delimited Text Columns to Rows? Open the main tool page to enter your input, generate the result, and copy or download the output.

Open Convert Arbitrary Delimited Text Columns to Rows