What is a DBF file?
DBF is the table format behind dBase and its many descendants — FoxPro, Visual FoxPro, and a long list of business applications built on top of them. Unlike the other formats on this site, it's binary, not plain text: a fixed 32-byte header, a table of field descriptors that defines the schema, then one fixed-width binary record per row. That structure is exactly why it survived for decades in point-of-sale, inventory, and line-of-business software — it's compact and fast to read — but it also means you can't just open it in a text editor to see what's inside. For the full anatomy of the format, read What is a DBF file? in the Learn section.
Who still has DBF files?
A lot of legacy business software — older POS systems, inventory management, GIS/mapping tools (shapefile attribute tables are DBF), and countless custom FoxPro applications — stored its data as DBF tables, and plenty of that data is still sitting on old drives or exported from systems being retired. If you just need what's in one without installing decades-old software, converting it to CSV is the fastest path.
DBF field types, briefly
- C — Character: Text, space-padded to a fixed width.
- N / F — Numeric / Float: Digits stored as ASCII text with an optional decimal point.
- D — Date: 8 digits, YYYYMMDD, with no separators.
- L — Logical: A single character: T/F (or Y/N), or blank for unknown.
- M — Memo: A pointer into a separate .dbt/.fpt file this converter doesn't have access to.
The converter reads the field descriptor table to know each column's name, type, and width, decodes every record accordingly, and flattens everything into one row per record — including records flagged as deleted, which DBF keeps in place rather than actually removing until the table is compacted.
How to convert DBF to CSV
- Drop your .dbf file above. Parsing happens on your device — the file is never uploaded.
- Check the summary: last updated date, field count, record count, and how many records are flagged deleted.
- Preview every record — columns match the table's own field names.
- Export as CSV for Excel, XLSX, or JSON.
Troubleshooting DBF files
What are the "Deleted" rows in my export?
DBF doesn't remove a record when you delete it in most dBase/FoxPro tools — it just flags that record with a deletion marker and leaves the data in place until the table is "packed" (compacted). This converter surfaces that flag as a Deleted column rather than silently hiding those rows, so you can decide whether to keep or filter them out yourself.
Why do some text fields show odd characters or a warning about the code page?
DBF files declare a language driver / code page byte in the header that says how to decode non-ASCII characters — but many older or hand-crafted DBF files leave it blank or use a code page this converter doesn't specifically recognize. When that happens and the file actually contains non-ASCII bytes, a warning flags it so you know to double-check any accented or special characters rather than trusting them blindly.
Why do memo fields show "[memo]" instead of the real text?
Long text in a DBF table isn't stored in the main .dbf file at all — Memo (M) fields are just a pointer into a separate companion file (usually .dbt or .fpt) that has to be uploaded alongside it. Since this converter only reads the one file you drop, memo fields render as a "[memo]" placeholder with a warning rather than garbage binary data.
Is this DBF converter really free?
Yes — every file parses and previews free with no signup and no upload. Free exports include the first 100 records; a one-time $19 license unlocks unlimited exports on every LegacyFile tool.