How to change the delimiter to a COMMA instead of a SEMICOLON when exporting to CSV?

If you don't have to do this too often then you could do this:

1. Launch TextEdit (in Applications)
2. Select the cells in Numbers
3. Command-c to copy to clipboard
4. Click in TextEdit and command-v to paste
5. In TextEdit menu go to Format and if Make Plain Text is visible select it (otherwise exit the menu)
6. Control-f to bring up the search field in TextEdit and check Replace
7. Select the invisible "tab" between two columns on the top row and command-c to copy
8. Paste into the search box
9. Type a comma in the replace box and click "A"
10. Save that csv file where you want.

It's a lot faster to follow these steps than it seems.

BTW, CSV originally did mean comma-separated-values but now it is used to denote character-separated-values, with the most common characters being , ; and | .

SG

If you use a comma for the decimal separator, a "CSV" is supposed to use semicolons to separate the data. That's the normal way it works. Other than changing the decimal separator in System Preferences/Language&Region, I've not found a way to make it use commas for the CSV export. I was hoping changing the region for the document in File/Advance/Language&Region would do it but it did not seem to have an effect on the CSV export.

The quickest way to get around this might be to temporarily change the region in System Preferences/Language&Region to someplace that uses a point for the decimal separator, like United States, then change it back afterward.

Welcome, gwendolynfromguadalajara, to Apple Support Communities!

We see that you are having trouble with Numbers Exporting CSV files using Semicolons (“;”) as delimiters, rather than the expected Comas (“,”)!

I believe we can help with that!

I find no setting for the delimiter type to use for Exporting as CSV.

Do you see any such setting? (I wouldn’t think so, or you probably wouldn’t be asking your question.)

All my machines have always exported CSV files using Commas.

However, there are a few things I can think of:

1. When you Export to CSV, what Text Encoding setting are you using, under the Advanced Options (in the Export Your Spreadsheet dialogue)? I’ve always used Unicode (usually UTF-8).
2. Are your localization (language) options set such that commas are used for the Decimal separator?

If none of that matches your situation, we’ll have to think of something else.

CSV is hilarious. Nobody agrees on what it means and nobody is consistent about it, it’s a disaster, but it’s a format that everybody insists that they understand. Use XML if you can. That’s ugly, but at least the escaping rules are better. Otherwise, get some tools and massage the CSV ti meet your own expectations, and those of whatever app is involved.

Microsoft used to support the sep=; or sep=, at the top, as an option to control the behavior. Donno about Google.

Windows 10 system-wide settings Control Panel > Clock, Language and Region > can select , or ; as the list separator, too.

https://hotware.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/trouble-with-opening-csv-files-with-excel-the-comma-and-semicolon-issue-in-excel-due-to-regional-settings-for-europe/

The only problem with what you have recommended, SGIII, is that the resulting file will misinterpret any comma-type decimal separators.

I think you may be correct, SGIII, about CSV «denot[ing] character-separated-values, with the most common characters being , ; and |».