Open a .sav file without installing SPSS
Drop an SPSS file here to see its variables and cases, then download it as an Excel workbook or as CSV. Everything happens in your browser — the file is never uploaded.
What a .sav file actually is
A .sav file is an SPSS system file. It is not a spreadsheet. It stores two things
side by side: the data — one record per case — and a dictionary that describes every
variable: its name, its label, the labels attached to each code, which values mean "missing",
and whether it is measured as scale, ordinal or nominal.
That dictionary is why the file will not open anywhere else. Excel expects delimited text or a
workbook of cells; a .sav is a binary container with records, and opening it in a
text editor or Excel gives you a screen of junk characters.
If you only need the numbers
Most people who hit this problem do not want SPSS. They were sent a file and need the data in
something they already have — usually Excel. The buttons above produce an .xlsx
workbook, or a CSV if you are feeding the data into something else. Either way the variable names
become column headers.
The workbook is a plain single-sheet file written in your browser. There are no formulas, no macros and no external links; it opens in Excel, LibreOffice, Numbers and Google Sheets.
Two things the CSV will not carry across: value labels (so you get 1 and
2 rather than Male and Female) and missing-value
definitions. The table on this page shows you the labels so you can decode the codes, and
genuine blanks stay blank in the CSV.
If you need the analysis too
Converting is the small half of the job. If what you actually need is a table you can put in a report, the full StatsToTable app takes the same file, works out which test the data calls for, checks the assumptions behind it and exports a three-line table with an APA sentence. One report a month is free.
Frequently asked
Why does Excel show gibberish when I open a .sav file?
Because it is not a spreadsheet. Excel tries to read binary records as text, so you get unreadable characters instead of columns. You need a reader that understands the SPSS record layout.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The parser is JavaScript running on this page. There is no upload step and no server holding the data — which is also why this works with files you are not allowed to send anywhere.
Which SPSS versions are supported?
The reader handles the standard $FL2 system file layout, both uncompressed
and the common compressed storage. If a file uses a proprietary extension the page will
tell you rather than showing wrong numbers.
Can I edit the data here?
No, this page only reads and converts. Editing belongs in the app, where you can correct variable types before an analysis.
Looking for something else? Online t test calculator · StatsToTable compared with SPSS · how the statistics are chosen · which test should I use · how they are verified