Split a CSV File by Row Count
When a sheet is slow to open, an import form caps the number of lines it takes, or you want to hand out work in batches, fixed-size pieces of the same table are often the simplest answer.
No upload. Chunking happens locally in your browser. Review each piece before using it.
Steps
- Open the Split CSV tool and pick your file. Once it loads, the status line shows how many data rows it holds.
- Choose the option to split by number of rows.
- Enter how many data rows each piece should hold, for example 50,000.
- Start the split. The zip downloads when it is ready, with parts named after your file, such as sales-part-001.csv, sales-part-002.csv and so on.
- Compare the rows-in and rows-out figures in the summary, then open the first and last piece.
Good to know
Header on every piece
The first line of your file is copied to the top of each chunk, so every piece can be opened or imported on its own. The row count you enter does not include that header line. A quote mark only starts a quoted cell when it is the first character of the cell. If the file ends inside an open quote, the tool shows a warning; check the rows-in count when it does.
The last piece is usually shorter
Unless your total divides evenly, the final chunk simply holds whatever rows are left over. That is expected.
Picking a chunk size
Choose a size comfortably below any limit you are working around. Leaving headroom makes room for a later edit or an extra column.
Questions
Does the order of rows change?
No. Rows stay in their original order, with chunk one holding the first rows of the file.
Can I pick a size of 1?
Only for short files. The tool refuses any split that would make more than 1,000 files and asks for a larger row count. It does not warn about small sizes before that, so pick a size that gives a sensible number of pieces.
What happens to blank lines?
Empty lines, and lines holding only spaces or tabs, are skipped, and the summary tells you how many were dropped. (When splitting by a column instead, a value made only of spaces gets its own file, separate from the file for empty values.) In a tab-separated file, a line of only tabs is kept as a row of empty cells. If the last line has no line break, one is added.
Have bank statements as PDFs instead? RowSmith converts text-based PDF statements to CSV or Excel in your browser.
This guide was written with AI assistance and reviewed against the tool's behaviour. Always review your output before using it.
RowSmith is an independent tool and is not affiliated with any bank or software company.