CSV Column Extractor
Pick the columns you want and download a smaller CSV with only those columns — order preserved.
Quick answer: Pick the columns you want and download a smaller CSV with only those columns — order preserved.
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Frequently asked questions
- How do I pick the columns to keep?
- Tick the checkbox next to each column header in the 'Pick columns to keep' panel. The preview and download reflect your selection in real time.
- Does the column order stay the same?
- Yes. Output columns appear in the same order as the source file — picking a subset doesn't reorder them. Use the Column Mapper if you also want to rename or reorder.
- Can I drop columns instead of picking?
- Functionally the same: tick everything you want to keep. There's no separate 'drop' button — picking is the inverse of dropping.
- Are quoted fields and embedded commas preserved?
- Yes. The parser handles RFC-4180 quoting and the writer re-quotes any cell containing the delimiter, a quote or a newline.
- Will my file be uploaded?
- No. Column extraction happens entirely in your browser using Papaparse.
- What if my file has no header row?
- Columns will show up as 'col 1', 'col 2', etc. — pick by position. Add a header row with the Cleaner if you want named columns.
- Can I extract from a CSV with millions of rows?
- Yes. Extraction is O(rows × picked columns) and runs in a couple of seconds on a million-row file. Memory is the only practical cap.
- Why would I trim columns at all?
- To reduce file size, strip sensitive data before sharing, or simply make the file easier to scan. Many BI tools also import faster from narrower files.
- Does it dedupe rows after extracting?
- No — extracting columns can create new duplicate rows (because the distinguishing column was dropped). Run the deduper afterwards if you want unique rows on the new column set.
- Can I keep the columns in a custom order?
- Not in this tool — use Column Mapper to rename and reorder. Extractor preserves the source-file order strictly.