---
title: "Convert CSV to PostgreSQL"
description: "Convert CSV files to SQL for PostgreSQL in your browser: a CREATE TABLE with typed columns, then INSERT statements. Free, and your file is never uploaded."
canonical: https://intosql.com/csv-to-postgresql
last_updated: 2026-10-15
---

# Convert CSV to PostgreSQL

Drop your CSV file to get a PostgreSQL script with CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements. Each column gets a type, and every fix is listed with its row and column.

## From CSV to PostgreSQL, column by column

The sample above, ventas_2024.csv, as IntoSQL writes it for PostgreSQL: what each column holds in the file, the type it gets and how its first value lands in the script.

| In the file | First value | Column | PostgreSQL type | In the script |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Folio | `00412` | `folio` | `text` | `'00412'` |
| Cliente | `Peña Muñoz` | `cliente` | `text` | `'Peña Muñoz'` |
| Ciudad | `Mérida` | `ciudad` | `text` | `'Mérida'` |
| Fecha | `15/02/2024` | `fecha` | `date` | `'2024-02-15'` |
| Importe | `1.234,50` | `importe` | `numeric(6,2)` | `1234.50` |
| Pagado | `sí` | `pagado` | `boolean` | `TRUE` |

## Load the script into PostgreSQL

The download is a plain .sql file. Run it with PostgreSQL's own tools.

### PostgreSQL

```shell
psql -v ON_ERROR_STOP=1 -d mydb -f ventas_2024.postgresql.sql
```

ON_ERROR_STOP makes psql stop at the first error. The script runs in one transaction, so a failed load leaves the database as it was. In pgAdmin or DBeaver, open the script in a query window and run it.

Without a script:

```shell
intosql load ventas_2024.csv --into postgres://user@localhost/mydb
```

## What IntoSQL reads in CSV files

- The encoding is detected, Windows-1252 and UTF-16 included, so accents and ñ arrive intact.
- The separator is detected: comma, semicolon, tab or vertical bar. With a semicolon, decimal commas like 1.234,50 are read as numbers.
- Quoted values can hold separators and line breaks.

## What to know about PostgreSQL

- Decimals keep their exact digits as numeric(p,s), and dates with an offset become timestamptz.
- PostgreSQL text can't hold the NUL character, so it is removed from the values that have one.
- The script runs in one transaction, so a load that fails leaves nothing half done.

### How each kind of value is stored in PostgreSQL

| Value | PostgreSQL |
| --- | --- |
| Yes and no | `boolean` |
| Whole numbers | `integer` |
| Large whole numbers | `bigint` |
| Decimals | `numeric(p,s)` |
| Floating-point numbers | `double precision` |
| Dates | `date` |
| Times of day | `time` |
| Dates with a time | `timestamp` |
| Dates with a time and offset | `timestamptz` |
| Text | `text` |

## Questions about CSV to PostgreSQL

### How do I convert CSV to PostgreSQL?

Drop your file on the converter at the top of this page. It finds the header, reads every value and writes the PostgreSQL script, listing each fix it made. Download the script and run it with psql.

### What if my CSV uses semicolons or tabs?

The separator is detected: comma, semicolon, tab or vertical bar. You can also set it under More options. With a semicolon, decimal commas such as 1.234,50 are read as numbers.

### Which PostgreSQL types does it use?

Yes and no values become boolean, whole numbers integer, decimals numeric(p,s), dates date, dates with a time timestamp and text text. Sizes come from the longest value in each column.

### Does it keep leading zeros in PostgreSQL?

Yes. A code such as 00412 stays text, so PostgreSQL stores it as text and the script writes it as '00412'.

### Can it load the data into PostgreSQL without a script?

Yes, with IntoSQL Pro. The desktop app and the command line connect to PostgreSQL and load the rows straight in, creating the table first.

### How big can the CSV file be?

The browser reads a CSV as it streams in, so files of several gigabytes work. On an Apple M4 laptop the command line converts a 174 MB CSV of a million rows in under a second.

## CSV into other databases

- [Convert CSV to SQL](https://intosql.com/csv-to-sql)
- [Convert CSV to MySQL](https://intosql.com/csv-to-mysql)
- [Convert CSV to MariaDB](https://intosql.com/csv-to-mariadb)
- [Convert CSV to SQLite](https://intosql.com/csv-to-sqlite)
- [Convert CSV to SQL Server](https://intosql.com/csv-to-sql-server)
- [Convert CSV to Oracle](https://intosql.com/csv-to-oracle)

## Other files into PostgreSQL

- [Convert Excel to PostgreSQL](https://intosql.com/excel-to-postgresql)
- [Convert JSON to PostgreSQL](https://intosql.com/json-to-postgresql)