Create a Semicolon-Delimited CSV with Period Decimal Separators in WPS Office Spreadsheets
Question details
The user needs to export a CSV file from WPS Office Spreadsheets that uses semicolons as field delimiters and periods as decimal separators, rather than relying on regional settings that may change both symbols.
- Product
- WPS Office Spreadsheets
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- The target system requires semicolon-separated CSV fields and numeric values with period decimal separators.
- Observed behavior
- Default CSV export may follow the operating system's regional settings, which can change the delimiter and decimal symbol during export.
Check whether the target system requires a specific file encoding such as UTF-8, and confirm that all numeric cells use a period decimal format before exporting.
Export and convert a WPS spreadsheet to semicolon-delimited CSV with period decimals
Use this method when you need a reliable semicolon-delimited CSV and want to keep periods as decimal separators without depending on regional settings.
WPS Spreadsheets saves CSV files based on the active regional or locale settings. If the current environment does not use a semicolon as the list separator, save the data normally and replace only the field commas with semicolons in a plain-text editor. This works well when decimal separators are already periods and text fields do not contain commas.
Open the workbook and select the numeric cells. Click Home > Number Format, choose Number or Text, and confirm that decimal values use a period, for example 1234.56.
Click Menu > Save As > CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv), choose a save location, and click Save. If prompted, confirm that you want to keep the current format.
Right-click the saved file and open it with Notepad or another plain-text editor. Check that numeric values still use periods and fields are separated by commas.
Use the editor's Replace tool to find a comma (,) and replace it with a semicolon (;). Since decimals use periods and text fields do not contain commas, all remaining commas represent field delimiters.
Save the edited file with a .csv extension and UTF-8 or other required encoding. Reopen it in the plain-text editor and confirm semicolons separate fields and periods remain decimal separators.
Use formulas to build a semicolon-delimited export inside WPS Spreadsheets
Use this method when the dataset is small and you want full control over the delimiter and decimal format without converting a saved CSV.
Export Semicolon-Delimited CSV with Period Decimals in WPS Office Spreadsheets
WPS Office Spreadsheets can help you create the CSV structure your target system expects. Use Save As to export the data, then convert field separators to semicolons while keeping period decimals, all without purchasing Microsoft Excel.
- 1. Open your workbook in WPS Office Spreadsheets: Launch WPS Office, open the target workbook, and confirm that numeric cells display period decimal separators.
- 2. Save as CSV: Click Menu > Save As, choose CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv), select a location, and save the file.
- 3. Convert commas to semicolons: Open the saved CSV in a plain-text editor, use Replace to change comma (,) to semicolon (;), and save the file with the required encoding.
- 4. Verify before import: Reopen the file in the plain-text editor and confirm that field values are separated by semicolons and decimals use periods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does WPS Spreadsheets export CSV with commas instead of semicolons?
WPS Spreadsheets follows the operating system's regional or locale settings for list separators when saving CSV files. You can save the CSV and replace commas with semicolons in a plain-text editor to create a semicolon-delimited file.
How do I keep period decimal separators when exporting CSV from WPS Office?
Before exporting, select the numeric cells and use the Number format to display decimals with a period. After saving, open the CSV in a plain-text editor and confirm periods remain as decimal separators.
Can I change the default CSV delimiter in WPS Spreadsheets?
WPS Spreadsheets does not provide a separate CSV delimiter option in the Save As dialog. The simplest workaround is to save as CSV and perform a find-and-replace operation in a plain-text editor.
Will WPS Office open semicolon-delimited CSV files?
Yes, WPS Office can open CSV files. You may need to use the text import options to specify the delimiter as semicolon if the file does not open in the expected columns.
Which encoding should I use for a semicolon-delimited CSV file?
Use UTF-8 unless the target system specifies another encoding. You can set the encoding when saving the file in a plain-text editor or in the export dialog if available.
