Convert Table to Text

With the Text To Table Converter Add-On, you can quickly transform tables back into neatly formatted, comma-separated text (CSV style) directly within Google Docs™, Google Slides™, and Google Sheets™.

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Convert a Table to Text

This process extracts the data from your selected table(s) and outputs it as plain text, with columns separated by commas and rows separated by newlines.

1. Select the Table(s) Position your cursor inside the table you wish to modify, or select the entire table explicitly. You can also select several tables.

   Selection Tips

   Google Sheets™: You must select the specific range of cells that contains the table data you want to adjust.

   

2. Run the Converter Use either:

   • Sidebar: Convert & Format > Table to Text
   • Menu: Extensions > Text To Table Converter > Selected Table to Text

   

3. View the Result The Add-On extracts the table data and inserts it as comma-separated text directly below the original table.

   Example Resulting Text Format:

   First Name,Last Name,Department,E-Mail
   Alice,Johnson,HR,[email protected]
   Bob,Smith,IT,[email protected]
   Clara,Lee,FIN,[email protected]
   David,Kim,MKT,[email protected]

   

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Changing the Delimiter

By default, the add-on uses a comma (,) to separate columns. If you need a different format (e.g., tab-separated or semicolon-separated), you can easily change the delimiter character.

This is configured in the settings menu. For a step-by-step guide, see:

Language & Settings: Table To Text Options

Handling Commas Within Your Data

If your original table cells contain commas, the Add-On follows standard CSV conventions (RFC 4180) when converting to text: it automatically encloses the entire cell content containing commas within double quotes (").

This ensures the comma isn’t misinterpreted as a column separator when you use the text later.

Example:

Consider this table where one of the “E-Mail” cells contains a comma:

First Name	Last Name	Department	E-Mail
Alice	Johnson	HR	[email protected]
Bob	Smith	IT	[email protected]
David	Kim	MKT	[email protected], [email protected]

When this table is converted using the Add-On, the resulting text will look like this:

Converted Text (CSV):

First Name,Last Name,Department,E-Mail
Alice,Johnson,HR,[email protected]
Bob,Smith,IT,[email protected]
David,Kim,MKT,"[email protected], [email protected]"

(Notice how the cell containing the two email addresses is enclosed in double quotes " in the output text to preserve the comma correctly.)

Converting Multiple Tables

You can select multiple tables simultaneously and convert them all at once using the same steps. The text from each table will be inserted sequentially below its respective original table.