DataToolsLab
CSV Tools

CSV Validator

Check CSV for structural issues, ragged rows, and encoding problems.

Loading tool…

What is CSV Validator?

Scans CSV data for common structural problems: inconsistent column counts (ragged rows), duplicate headers, empty rows, and encoding issues.

How it works

Parse CSV with a RFC 4180 parser, then check each row for consistent column count, check headers for duplicates, and scan for encoding issues.

  1. Paste CSV. Paste CSV data to validate.
  2. Review issues. Errors and warnings are listed with row numbers and descriptions.

Examples

Ragged rows

A CSV with 3 columns in the header but 4 in row 5 flags a warning.

Common mistakes

Hidden characters

BOM characters at the start of a file can cause parsing issues — the Validator detects them.

Alternatives

CSV Formatter

For fixing rather than just detecting issues.

Frequently asked questions

Can it auto-fix issues?

No — use CSV Formatter for fixes and CSV Deduplicator for duplicates.

Online