The major differences between Excel XLSX and CSV file format are the file size and the formatting.

In a *.CSV file, the file size is smaller, and the data looks like this:
(there is no formatting, just raw data)

And if you open using a text editor, you'd get this:

idx,col1,col2
123,aaa,xxx
456,bbb,yyy
789,ccc,zzz

And in a *.XLSX file, the file size is larger, and the data looks like this:
(this format allows formatting such as tables, borders, background color, bold, etc)

And if you open with a text editor, you'd get this:

PK     ! A7傁n     [Content_Types].xml ?(?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 琓蒼?絎?D綱墶嚜??[跺(鼄'fQU??Ql蟍&?&YB@鉲.鶼O$`璻?鼿烢偆琕嵆悑5?
镲拥 L岗b.j""%5?3缌騈锽珗?C%?妾?陕YK)ub8x僐-J轜技Q23V$瘺sU.旝?盤勾?I晔?燷県:C@i?╩23???g€/#莺矢2
泌x|`隚簼惝秛_?傃悓U燨詹w筳鋸髾s箪4去瓑-蔤e霳?e|鮫,ん佅??愸y絼s?i? 藓??s??耵V7?麛幵88彍? 梬a懏:??霤rh伥??轁鄸??   PK     ! 礥0#?   L   _rels/.rels ?(?     
<truncated>

Generally, I use CSV format to store raw data, and use XLSX format to present the data.

Answer from Adrian Ang on Stack Overflow
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Microsoft Support
support.microsoft.com › en-us › excel › get-started › import-or-export-text-txt-or-csv-files
Import or export text (.txt or .csv) files | Microsoft Support
... Delimited text files (.txt), in which the TAB character (ASCII character code 009) typically separates each field of text. Comma separated values text files (.csv), in which the comma character (,) typically separates each field of text. You can change the separator character that is ...
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Parse.ly
parse.ly › home › glossary › csv file
CSV File - Definition and Examples | Parse.ly
December 19, 2022 - Learn what CSV files are and how they are used. A CSV file is an MS Excel file format that is the standard for storing tabular data in text form. CSV files are often used to exchange data between different software applications.
Discussions

What is the point of supporting CSV format when Excel completely destroys the data in the file?
Just don’t open the CSV in excel. Pull it into excel using Power Query. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/excel
88
183
July 8, 2024
Non professional level: I never work with CSVs, why is a better format than excel/.xlsx?
CSVs can easily edited with a plain text editor. You can easily diff (ie find difderences between files) them. They are platform-independent. Avoid xlsx and such formats whenever you can. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/learnpython
37
28
December 10, 2019
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Adobe
adobe.com › acrobat › resources › document-files › what-is-a-csv-file.html
What is a CSV file and how to create and use one | Adobe Acrobat
CSV files are plain text, while Excel files (XLS or XLSX ) are created in Microsoft Excel. This difference is important for knowing the strengths and limits of each file type. When needed, you can always convert XLSX to CSV for simple edits ...
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Flatfile
flatfile.com › blog › what-is-a-csv-file-guide-to-uses-and-benefits
What is a CSV file: A comprehensive guide | Flatfile
In Windows, you can click on any file to see a preview of it in the file explorer folder on the right. If you click on an Excel CSV file, you can actually see what it looks like behind the scenes: A mess of data separated by commas.
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Absorb LMS
support.absorblms.com › hc › en-us › articles › 115010250028-What-is-a-CSV-file-and-how-do-I-save-my-spreadsheet-as-one
What is a CSV file and how do I save my spreadsheet as one? – Absorb Help Center
CSV is an abbreviation for "comma separated values", a file which allows data to be saved in a table structured format. CSVs look like a spreadsheet but have a ".csv" extension in the file name.
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Intacct
intacct.com › ia › docs › en_US › help_action › More › Uploading_Data › what-is-a-csv.htm
What's a CSV file? - Sage Intacct
April 23, 2026 - When you open a CSV file in Excel, the data is automatically formatted into a table with rows and columns.
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CoolUtils
coolutils.com › blog › what-is-csv-file
What is a CSV File: Essential Guide to File Types, Excel Compatibility, and Formats – Coolutils Converters Blog
January 1, 2026 - The CSV file extension (.csv) serves as a standard identifier that enables operating systems and software applications to recognize the format. Files can be opened in Microsoft Excel or other programs once this extension is recognized.
Find elsewhere
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Spreadsheetsmadeeasy
spreadsheetsmadeeasy.com › understanding-csv-files-in-excel
Understanding CSV Files in Excel | Spreadsheets Made Easy
After you open the file, you’ll notice that the data is just plain text put into different cells. If you want to save your current workbook into a CSV file, you have to use File -> Save As… and choose CSV file. More often than not, you will get this warning: What Excel is trying to say here is that CSV Files don’t save any kind of formatting at all.
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Business Insider
businessinsider.com › business insider › what is a csv file? how to open and use the popular spreadsheet file
What is a CSV file? How to open and use the popular spreadsheet file
August 23, 2022 - If you spend any time with spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets — or even import certain kinds of data into Microsoft Outlook — you will inevitably encounter a comma-separated values file, commonly known as a CSV.
Top answer
1 of 2
6

The major differences between Excel XLSX and CSV file format are the file size and the formatting.

In a *.CSV file, the file size is smaller, and the data looks like this:
(there is no formatting, just raw data)

And if you open using a text editor, you'd get this:

idx,col1,col2
123,aaa,xxx
456,bbb,yyy
789,ccc,zzz

And in a *.XLSX file, the file size is larger, and the data looks like this:
(this format allows formatting such as tables, borders, background color, bold, etc)

And if you open with a text editor, you'd get this:

PK     ! A7傁n     [Content_Types].xml ?(?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 琓蒼?絎?D綱墶嚜??[跺(鼄'fQU??Ql蟍&?&YB@鉲.鶼O$`璻?鼿烢偆琕嵆悑5?
镲拥 L岗b.j""%5?3缌騈锽珗?C%?妾?陕YK)ub8x僐-J轜技Q23V$瘺sU.旝?盤勾?I晔?燷県:C@i?╩23???g€/#莺矢2
泌x|`隚簼惝秛_?傃悓U燨詹w筳鋸髾s箪4去瓑-蔤e霳?e|鮫,ん佅??愸y絼s?i? 藓??s??耵V7?麛幵88彍? 梬a懏:??霤rh伥??轁鄸??   PK     ! 礥0#?   L   _rels/.rels ?(?     
<truncated>

Generally, I use CSV format to store raw data, and use XLSX format to present the data.

2 of 2
3

My doubt is both excel and csv file stores data in sheet.

They do not both store data in a sheet. There is no sheet in a csv file.

This is a common misunderstanding because windows uses Excel to open csv files when you double click. Excel puts the text from the csv file into a sheet, but that sheet is created by Excel, it doesn't exist in the csv file, even when you save it.

Here are some ways you can see the difference:

If you try to add a second sheet and save as csv, it will say not supported.

If you right-click > edit the csv file instead of double-click, it will open in notepad.

If you give the sheet a name like "Test", then save and close the file, then open it again, the sheet name will not be saved. Excel will use the filename as the sheet name.

If you close the file, and rename it to something like "Test.csv", then open the file in Excel, the sheet name will now say "Test".

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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › excel › difference-between-csv-and-excel
Difference Between CSV and Excel - GeeksforGeeks
February 14, 2026 - CSV is a lightweight, plain-text format ideal for simple data transfer, while Excel supports formulas, formatting, charts, and advanced data analysis. Understanding their differences helps you choose the right format for speed, compatibility, ...
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Ecwid
support.ecwid.com › hc › en-us › articles › 207100869-Opening-and-saving-CSV-files-in-Excel
Opening and saving CSV files in Excel – Ecwid Help Center
A CSV file or “Comma Separated Values” file is used to store information in plain text form. This format is widely used for moving or updating data between systems like ecommerce stores.
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File Info
fileinfo.com › extension › csv
CSV File - What is a .csv file and how do I open it?
November 2, 2023 - A CSV file is a comma-separated values file commonly used by spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice Calc. It contains plain text data sets separated by commas, with each new line in the CSV file representing a new database ...
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ExcelMojo
excelmojo.com › home › excel tables and data tools › csv files in excel
CSV Files in Excel - How to Create, Open, Import, & Convert?
June 23, 2025 - Let us look at examples to learn more about opening CSV files into Excel, importing them, and saving them in Excel format. CSV files in Excel comprise many rows of data with one or more fields. It is a simple form of storing data and can be imported across applications.
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Microsoft Support
support.microsoft.com › en-us › office › create-or-edit-csv-files-to-import-into-outlook-4518d70d-8fe9-46ad-94fa-1494247193c7
Create or edit .csv files to import into Outlook | Microsoft Support
... Excel for Microsoft 365 Outlook for Microsoft 365 Excel 2024 Outlook 2024 Excel 2021 Outlook 2021 Excel 2019 Outlook 2019 Excel 2016 Outlook 2016 Outlook.com New Outlook for Windows · A CSV (Comma Separated Values) file is a special type of file that you can create or edit in Excel.
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OneSchema
oneschema.co › blog › csv-files
CSV Files: Use cases, Benefits, and Limitations
CSV files are plain text files where the values in each row are separated by commas, and each row is ended by a line break. The relatively simple structure of CSV data allows it to be human-readable, and viewable in many programs including text ...
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WPS Office
wps.com › academy › what-is-csv-file-in-excel-quick-tutorials-1865273
What is CSV file in Excel | WPS Office Academy
February 13, 2023 - CSV is an HTML-separated value file. It allows data to be saved in a tabular format. CSVs are similar to a spreadsheet of garden variety, but they have a. csv extension. CSV files can work with almost any spreadsheet program such as WPS office and WPS Spreadsheets.
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Comma-separated_values
Comma-separated values - Wikipedia
June 12, 2026 - CSV is supported by almost all spreadsheets and database management systems. Spreadsheets including Apple Numbers, LibreOffice Calc, and Apache OpenOffice Calc. support reading CSV files. Microsoft Excel also supports a dialect of CSV with restrictions in comparison to other spreadsheet software ...
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Lifewire
lifewire.com › csv-file-2622708
What's a CSV File and How Do You Open One?
September 14, 2023 - A CSV file is a comma-separated values file; view/edit one with Excel, WPS Office Spreadsheet, or Google Sheets. Convert CSV to Excel (XLSX), PDF, XML, TXT, etc., with those same programs or Zamzar.