How I Convert JSON to Excel Without Uploading My Data

Maria BIBI — Sat, 07 Nov 2026 04:30:07 +0000

I once received a data file in JSON format. When I opened it in Excel, it showed up as a confusing mess instead of a clean table. The online converters I tried were full of ads, and some asked me to upload my data to their servers.

So I built a small free tool that converts JSON to CSV right in the browser. Here is the simple method I use now.

What JSON works best in Excel?

Excel works with rows and columns, so JSON converts cleanly when it is a list of objects with the same keys:

[
  {"name": "Ali", "city": "Lahore", "age": 28},
  {"name": "Sara", "city": "Karachi", "age": 25},
  {"name": "Usman", "city": "Faisalabad", "age": 31}
]

Each object becomes a row, and each key becomes a column.

Method 1: Convert to CSV, then open in Excel

Paste your JSON into a JSON to CSV converter.
Convert it and download the CSV file.
Double-click the CSV to open it in Excel.
Use File > Save As > Excel Workbook (.xlsx) to keep it as an Excel file.

The JSON above becomes:

name,city,age
Ali,Lahore,28
Sara,Karachi,25
Usman,Faisalabad,31

When I tested my tool with these three records, the CSV was ready in about a second.

Method 2: Power Query (newer Excel)

In Excel for Microsoft 365, go to Data > Get Data > From File > From JSON, then click To Table and expand the columns. This is useful for nested JSON.

Common problems

Everything in one column: import with Data > From Text/CSV and choose comma as the separator.
Strange characters: choose UTF-8 as the file origin when importing.
Converter shows an error: your JSON is probably invalid. Run it through a JSON validator first.

DEV Community: Maria BIBI

How I Convert JSON to Excel Without Uploading My Data

What JSON works best in Excel?

Method 1: Convert to CSV, then open in Excel

Method 2: Power Query (newer Excel)

Common problems

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