How to extract columns from a CSV file with Arabic names
You have exported a customer or student list from a spreadsheet or an admin system, and you only need two of its columns, say the name and the phone number. This tool reads CSV text, or any text whose columns are separated by semicolons, tabs or pipes, and outputs the columns you pick in the order you want.
The tricky part with CSV is that a comma can sit inside a cell, for example an address with a comma between the district and the street. Tools that split every line at each comma break that cell in two and shift every column after it. This tool follows the usual CSV quoting rules, so a quoted cell stays whole even when it contains a comma, a quote mark or a line break.
How to use it
- Open the CSV file in a text editor and copy its contents, or copy the cells straight from your spreadsheet, then paste into CSV / delimited input.
- Under Delimiter, pick the character that separates your columns: Comma ,, Semicolon ;, Tab or Pipe |. Cells copied from a spreadsheet usually paste as tab-separated text.
- In Column numbers, type the columns you want, separated by commas. The first column is 1, and the order you type is the order you get, so
3,1puts the third column first. - Tick First record is a header (for row count) if your first line holds column names. It only changes the count shown; the header line stays in the output.
- Leave Protect formula-like cells on if the file will be opened in a spreadsheet app.
- Check Delimited column output and the record count below it, then click Copy or Download CSV.
Worked examples from the tool
الاسم,المدينة,العنوان,الهاتف سارة العتيبي,الرياض,"حي النرجس, شارع 12",0501234567 خالد السالم,جدة,"حي الروضة, مبنى 4",0559876543 "نورة ""أم فهد"" القحطاني",الدمام,حي الشاطئ,0533334444
"الاسم","العنوان" "سارة العتيبي","حي النرجس, شارع 12" "خالد السالم","حي الروضة, مبنى 4" "نورة ""أم فهد"" القحطاني","حي الشاطئ"
Settings: Delimiter: Comma · Column numbers: 1,3 · First record is a header
الاسم,المبلغ,ملاحظة سارة,125,دفعة أولى خالد,-40,استرداد نورة,=1+1,إدخال خاطئ
"الاسم","المبلغ" "سارة","125" "خالد","'-40" "نورة","'=1+1"
Settings: Delimiter: Comma · Column numbers: 1,2 · Protect formula-like cells on
الاسم الصف الدرجة سارة الخامس 95 خالد السادس 88 مريم الخامس 91
"الدرجة" "الاسم" "95" "سارة" "88" "خالد" "91" "مريم"
Settings: Delimiter: Tab · Column numbers: 3,1
What the output looks like
Every cell in the output is wrapped in double quotes, and any quote mark inside the text is doubled. A cell holding نورة "أم فهد" القحطاني therefore becomes "نورة ""أم فهد"" القحطاني", which is how RFC 4180, the common CSV specification, writes quotes inside a field. Rows keep their original order, the delimiter you chose is reused, and lines end with CRLF.
Arabic names come out exactly as they went in; no letters are changed. If the name column needs stray spaces or tatweel removed, run it through the Cleaner after extraction. The Arabic cleanup guide explains which options to pick.
Formula protection: when to keep it on
Spreadsheet apps treat a cell that starts with =, +, - or @ as a formula. If the data came from a form that the public fills in, someone may have typed a formula into a name or notes field, and it would be evaluated when the file is opened. Protection therefore puts an apostrophe ' in front of those cells, so they no longer start with a formula sign.
There is a trade-off. Negative numbers such as -40 and international phone numbers such as +96550000000 start with the same signs, so they get the apostrophe too. Turn protection off only when you need the values literally and you trust the source, or the file is going into a system that does not evaluate formulas.
Error messages and what causes them
- Malformed or unclosed CSV quote. A quote was opened and never closed, or it appears in the middle of an unquoted cell. Fix that line in the source and paste again.
- A requested column is missing in a record. At least one line has fewer columns than the number you asked for. A blank line in the middle of the data or the wrong delimiter is the usual cause.
- Everything lands in one column: your file uses a different delimiter from the one selected. Try semicolon or tab.
- Garbled Arabic: if the names already looked like strange symbols before you pasted them, the file was saved in another encoding. Export it again as UTF-8; the tool cannot repair broken encoding.
Limits
- Up to 100,000 text units, 10,000 records and 1,000 columns of input, and at most 50 selected columns.
- The tool works on pasted text only. It does not open Excel files and does not read formulas or formatting.
- It does not filter or sort rows. Every row comes out in its original order, header included.
- Protection cannot tell a negative number or a phone number from a formula, so anything starting with =, +, - or @ gets the apostrophe.
Frequently asked questions
How do I extract just the name column from a CSV file?
Type that column's number alone in Column numbers, for example 2 if names are in the second column, then copy or download the result.
How do I reorder columns?
Type the numbers in the new order, such as 3,1,2. You can also repeat a number to output the same column twice.
Why do some values start with an apostrophe?
Does it handle semicolon-separated files?
Yes. Choose Semicolon ; under Delimiter. The output uses the same delimiter, and decimal commas inside numbers are left alone.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. You paste the text into the page, and parsing and extraction happen in your browser.