What Is an ASCII Table?

An ASCII table is a plain-text representation of tabular data using characters from the ASCII and Unicode character sets to draw borders, separators, and cell boundaries. ASCII tables are used in terminal output, code comments, documentation, log files, and plain-text emails where graphical tables cannot be rendered.  

Border Styles Reference

The tool supports 10 border styles across three categories:

ASCII Styles (6)

+------+-------+
| Name | Price |
+------+-------+

------+-------
 Name | Price
------+-------

 Name   Price
------- -------

Name  Price
Alice 29.99

......+.......
. Name . Price .
......+.......

.------+-------.
| Name | Price |
'------+-------'

Unicode Styles (2)

┌──────┬────────┐
│ Name │ Price │
└──────┴────────┘

│ Name │ Price │

reStructuredText Styles (2)

+======+=======+
| Name | Price |
+======+=======+

======  =======
 Name    Price
======  =======

What Is Excel to ASCII Table?

Excel to ASCII Table is a free online tool that converts spreadsheet data from Excel files (.xlsx, .xls, .xlsm) into plain-text ASCII tables. Choose from 10 border styles, wrap output in code comments for 8 programming languages, and control text alignment. The tool processes everything in your browser — your files are never uploaded to any server.  

Core Features

• 10 Border Styles — 6 ASCII styles (MySQL, Separated, Horizontal, Compact, Dots, Rounded), 2 Unicode styles (Box Drawing, Single Line), and 2 reStructuredText styles (Grid, Simple).

• Row Separators — Toggle horizontal separator lines between data rows.

• Code Comment Wrappers — Wrap the entire table in comments for C++/Java/JavaScript (//), Python (#), SQL (--), and 5 more languages, or use block comments (/* */, <!-- -->, ```).

• Text Alignment — Align cell content left, center, or right with automatic padding.

• Auto Column Width — Column widths are calculated from the longest value in each column.

• Multi-Sheet Support — Select which worksheet to convert from multi-sheet workbooks.

• Built-in Table Editor — Edit cells, transpose, deduplicate, and transform data before conversion.

• 100% Client-Side Processing — No data leaves your device.

How to Use Excel to ASCII Table

Step 1: Upload or Enter Your Data

Drag and drop an Excel file (.xlsx, .xls, or .xlsm) onto the upload area, or click to browse. Alternatively, click Enter Data to type table data manually.  

Step 2: Edit Your Data (Optional)

After loading, your data appears in an editable table. Use the toolbar to modify cells, add or remove rows and columns, transpose data, remove duplicates and empty rows, change text case, or find and replace values. Toggle First Row as Header to define column names.  

Step 3: Configure ASCII Options

In the Properties panel on the right:  

• Border Style — Select from 10 styles. MySQL is the classic database output format. Unicode uses box-drawing characters for a polished look. RST Grid and RST Simple generate reStructuredText tables for Sphinx documentation.

• Row Separators — Enable to draw horizontal lines between every data row. Disable for a compact table with only top and bottom borders.

• Comment Wrapper — Wrap the output in language-specific comments. Choose from // (C++/Java/JS), # (Python/R/Ruby), -- (SQL/Lua), % (MATLAB), * (Docblock), ' (VBA), REM (BASIC), ! (Fortran), or block comment styles (CSS, HTML, code fence).

• Text Alignment — Left (default, standard text), Center (headers or numeric data), or Right (numeric columns).

Conversion Example

Given this Excel table:

MySQL style with Row Separators on, Left alignment:

+----------+-------+-----+
| Name     | Price | Qty |
+----------+-------+-----+
| Widget A | 29.99 | 100 |
+----------+-------+-----+
| Widget B | 49.99 | 50  |
+----------+-------+-----+

Unicode style with Center alignment:

┌───────────┬────────┬─────┐
│   Name   │  Price  │  Qty  │
├───────────┼────────┼─────┤
│ Widget A │  29.99  │  100  │
├───────────┼────────┼─────┤
│ Widget B │  49.99  │  50   │
└───────────┴────────┴─────┘

Python comment wrapper (Compact style):

# Name      Price  Qty
# Widget A  29.99  100
# Widget B  49.99  50

Step 4: Copy or Download

Click Copy to Clipboard to copy the ASCII table into your code editor, documentation, or terminal. For file download, use the Download button (requires Premium Plan). The file is saved as a .txt file.  

Comment Wrapper Language Reference

Common Use Cases

• Code Documentation — Embed ASCII tables in source code comments for schema documentation, configuration references, and API parameter tables.

• Terminal/CLI Output — Generate MySQL-style result tables for command-line tools, scripts, and log file formatting.

• README Files — Add ASCII tables to README.txt files and plain-text documentation that doesn't support Markdown.

• Sphinx/reStructuredText — Generate RST Grid or Simple tables for Sphinx documentation projects.

• SQL Scripts — Wrap table definitions in -- SQL comments within migration scripts and schema documentation.

• Python Docstrings — Embed #-commented ASCII tables in Python module documentation and docstrings.

• Markdown Fallback — Use ASCII tables when Markdown table syntax is insufficient (complex borders, alignment control).

• Email and Plain-Text Reports — Insert ASCII tables into plain-text emails where HTML tables are not supported.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Is my Excel data uploaded to a server?

  No. All file parsing and ASCII table generation happens entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript. Your files are never uploaded, transferred, or stored on any server. The tool works offline once the page has loaded.

• What Excel file formats are supported?

  The tool supports .xlsx (Excel 2007+), .xls (Excel 97-2003), and .xlsm (macro-enabled) files. Multi-sheet workbooks are supported — use the sheet selector to choose which sheet to convert.

• What is the difference between ASCII and Unicode border styles?

  ASCII styles use characters from the 7-bit ASCII set (+, -, |, ., ') which display correctly in every terminal and text editor. Unicode styles use box-drawing characters (─, │, ┌, ┐, └, ┘) which produce smoother borders but may not render correctly in some terminals, legacy editors, or non-UTF-8 environments.

• Which border style should I use?

  MySQL — the most recognizable format, ideal for database documentation and terminal output. Unicode — best for polished presentations and modern terminals. Compact — minimal, good for inline code. RST Grid / Simple — for Sphinx and reStructuredText documentation. Separated — clean look without outer borders. Rounded — distinctive style with curved corners. Dots — decorative style for visual emphasis.

• How does the Comment Wrapper work?

  The Comment Wrapper adds language-specific comment characters to every line of the ASCII table output. For example, selecting # Python/R/Ruby prefixes each line with # , making the table valid Python comments. Block comment options (/* */, <!-- -->, ```) wrap the entire table between opening and closing delimiters. This lets you paste the table directly into source code.

• How does text alignment work?

  The tool pads each cell with spaces to match the widest value in its column. Left aligns text to the left with trailing spaces. Right adds leading spaces before the text. Center distributes spaces evenly on both sides. Column widths are calculated automatically from your data — you don't need to specify widths manually.

• What are reStructuredText tables?

  reStructuredText (RST) is a markup language used by Sphinx, the Python documentation generator. RST Grid tables use +======+ borders with = for the header row and - for body row separators. RST Simple tables use only ==== lines without vertical bars. Both formats are rendered as HTML tables by Sphinx.

• Can I edit the data before converting?

  Yes. After uploading your file, the built-in table editor lets you modify cell values, add or remove rows and columns, transpose data, remove duplicates and empty rows, change text case, and find-and-replace — all before generating the ASCII table.

• Can I use this tool without uploading a file?

  Yes. Click the Enter Data button to open a blank editor where you can type or paste table data manually, then generate the ASCII table.

• What is the MySQL border style?

  The MySQL border style mimics the output format of MySQL's command-line client when displaying query results. It uses + for corners and intersections, - for horizontal lines, and | for vertical separators. This is the most widely recognized ASCII table format and is used by many database tools and CLI applications.