A small workbook you can check
For a compact example, paste [{"name":"Ada","address":{"city":"İzmir"},"id":12345678901234567890}]. The table has three columns: name, address.city and id, with one data row. Download Excel creates a header row plus that row; the long ID is stored as text with all 20 digits.
With the built-in example, Rows from selects the orders list. Two orders become two data rows, and the second row has empty cells for fields it does not contain. Change Lists only when you want a different representation of the tags array, then inspect the preview again.
How the rows are chosen
If the JSON is an array, each item becomes a row. Many APIs wrap the list in an object, such as {"data": {"items": [...]}}; the converter finds arrays inside the object and picks the one with the most records. The Rows from menu lists every array it found with its length, so you can switch to another list, or choose the whole object as a single row.
Records do not need the same fields. Columns are collected from every row in the order they first appear, and a row without a field simply leaves that cell empty.
Nested objects and lists
Nested objects are flattened into dotted column names: {"address": {"city": "İzmir"}} becomes a column called address.city. Lists have three options. Own columns gives each item its own column (tags.0, tags.1), which keeps the data readable and lets CSV to JSON rebuild it later. One cell, joined joins simple lists with semicolons, which suits tags and categories. One cell, as JSON keeps the list structure as compact JSON in a single cell.
Numbers, dates and long IDs
Numbers are stored as numbers, so Excel can sum and sort them. Excel only keeps 15 significant digits, which is why order numbers, card-like IDs and other long digit strings are written as text: they keep every digit instead of ending in zeros. Text values that start with an equals sign are stored as text too, so nothing in the data runs as a formula. Dates in JSON are text, and they stay text; use Excel’s Text to Columns or DATEVALUE if you need real dates.
An Excel sheet holds at most 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns, and a cell at most 32,767 characters. Larger data is refused with a message or, for over-long cells, cut and reported; CSV does not impose those workbook limits, but your device and the app that opens it still have practical limits.
Questions about JSON to Excel
- Is my data uploaded?
- No. The table and the .xlsx file are built in your browser. The download is created on your device.
- Which Excel versions open the file?
- The download uses the .xlsx workbook format supported by Excel, LibreOffice, Numbers and Google Sheets. Check important output in the app you plan to use; every app and version has not been verified.
- Can I get several sheets?
- Not yet. Each download holds one sheet built from the chosen array. Convert another array to save it as a second file.
- Why are some columns named like tags.0?
- Those are list items given their own columns. Choose One cell, joined or One cell, as JSON under Lists if you would rather keep a list in one column.