Files and data

What is Delimiter?

Also called field separator.

A delimiter is the character that separates one field from the next in a text data file, such as the comma in a CSV or the tab in a TSV.

By Utility Mule editorial team Last reviewed September 29, 2026 How we write guides

How it works

Plain-text tables need a way to mark where one value ends and the next begins. The delimiter is that marker. A comma is the classic choice, which is where CSV gets its name, but semicolons, tabs and pipes (|) are all common.

Regional settings are the most frequent source of trouble. Where the comma is the decimal separator, spreadsheet software exports and expects semicolons, so a file made on one computer can open as a single column on another.

Delimiter vs quoting

The delimiter separates fields; quoting protects fields that contain the delimiter. A robust CSV reader handles both. When a file looks misaligned, the cause is usually either the wrong delimiter choice when importing or a program that wrote values containing commas without quoting them.

A practical example

In Germany and France, spreadsheets often export CSV files with semicolons, because the comma is used as the decimal mark: 3,5 means three and a half.

What to watch out for

Opening a file with the wrong delimiter squeezes every row into one column or splits values in the wrong places. Check the first few lines in a text editor before importing.

Tools you can use

Clean CSV · Blank rows, duplicates and stray spaces out
Split CSV · By row count, equal parts or column value
Merge CSV · Combine files, matched by column name
Excel to CSV · Every sheet, including old .xls files
CSV to JSON · Rows to objects, quoted fields handled

Go a little deeper

Common questions

What is the difference between CSV and TSV?

Only the delimiter. CSV uses commas (or semicolons in some regions) and TSV uses tab characters. Tabs rarely appear inside values, so TSV needs less quoting.

How do I tell which delimiter a file uses?

Open it in a plain text editor and look at the first row. The character that appears between every column name is the delimiter.

What happens if a value contains the delimiter?

It must be wrapped in double quotes, for example "Smith, Alex". A program that ignores quoting will split that value into two columns.