CSV Escape / Unescape
Escape a raw text value into a safe CSV field — wrapping it in quotes and doubling internal quotes when it contains the delimiter, a quote character, or a newline — or unescape a quoted CSV field back to its raw value. Follows RFC 4180 quoting rules.
Input
Escape mode only — a value is quoted if it contains this delimiter.
Escape mode only.
Output
More ways to use this tool
REST API
curl -X POST https://api.iotools.cloud/v1/tool/csv-escape-unescape \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"inputText": "Smith, \"John\"",
"mode": "escape",
"delimiter": ",",
"quoteStyle": "as-needed"
}'Swap in your own key from your account. The tool's fields are the body — no wrapper.
Ask an AI agent
Use the IOTools `csv-escape-unescape` tool (CSV Escape / Unescape) on this input:
YOUR_INPUT_HEREPaste this at any agent connected to the IOTools MCP server, then add your input.
Embed widget
<iframe
src="https://iotools.cloud/embed/csv-escape-unescape/"
width="100%" height="520" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" loading="lazy"
title="CSV Escape / Unescape — iotools.cloud"
sandbox="allow-scripts allow-forms allow-same-origin allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"
allow="clipboard-write"
style="width:100%;border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden"></iframe>
<script src="https://iotools.cloud/embed.js" async></script>Drop this into your own page — free, no key required, just a link back.
| Cost per API/MCP call | From 5 credits |
|---|---|
| Need more credits? | View pricing |
Also available with
Guides
Escape a single raw value so it can be dropped safely into a CSV file, or unescape a quoted CSV field back to its original text. Paste your value, pick a mode, and the result updates instantly — everything runs in your browser, so nothing you type ever leaves your device.
What "escaping" means in CSV
RFC 4180 quoting is simple but easy to get wrong by hand: a field only needs wrapping in double quotes if it contains the delimiter, a double quote, or a newline — and any double quote already inside the value has to be doubled (" becomes "") so a parser doesn't read it as the end of the field. A value with none of those characters can stay completely unquoted. Getting this wrong either corrupts the row (an unescaped comma splits into an extra column) or clutters a clean CSV with quotes it doesn't need.
How to use it
- Paste the value into the input box.
- Choose Escape to turn raw text into a safe CSV field, or Unescape to turn a quoted CSV field back into plain text.
- In Escape mode, set the Delimiter your CSV actually uses (comma, semicolon, tab, or pipe) — quoting only triggers on that character, so the right choice matters. Quote style lets you force quotes on every value instead of only when needed.
- Copy or download the result.
Unescape mode accepts a field with or without the surrounding quotes, and reports a clear error if a quoted field is malformed — for example a missing closing quote.
How this differs from the CSV Formatter
CSV Formatter parses a whole CSV table — many rows and columns — and re-serializes it with consistent delimiters and quoting. This tool works on one value at a time: the raw text you'd otherwise have to hand-quote before pasting it into a spreadsheet, a script-generated CSV row, or a COPY statement. Use CSV Formatter to clean up an existing file; use this tool to safely prepare (or unpack) a single problematic value.
Is my data private?
Yes. All escaping and unescaping happens locally in your browser using plain JavaScript. Your text is never uploaded to a server.
Common uses
Safely inserting a value that itself contains commas or quotes (an address, a quoted name, free-form notes) into a hand-built CSV row; extracting the real value back out of a quoted field copied from a CSV file or log; and checking how a value will be quoted before it reaches a downstream parser.