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Broken CSV Checker

Find rows that do not match the column count of the header.

Broken CSV Checker: Guide

Intent
Broken CSV checker online: find rows with missing or extra columns compared to the first row (often the header) to fix CSV import errors quickly.
What it does
Splits each line on commas and reports the line numbers whose column count differs from the first line.
Key features
Line number report, Expected column count, Fast scan
Privacy
Everything runs locally in your browser. No uploads.
Best for
  • Debugging 'CSV format broken' errors during imports or ETL pipelines
  • Finding the exact line that breaks parsing due to stray commas or quotes
  • Anyone searching 'broken CSV checker' or 'CSV parse error'
Why this tool
  • Pinpoints which lines differ from the header's column count
  • Works from pasted CSV text so you can test small samples quickly
  • Local-only: no uploads

How to use

  1. 1Paste your CSV text (include the header line).
  2. 2Click Check for broken rows.
  3. 3If broken rows are found, use the line numbers to fix the source CSV.

Common mistakes

  • This is a lightweight checker: quoted commas and multi-line fields can produce false positives.
  • Assumes commas, not semicolons/tabs/pipes.
  • If the first row is not the true 'standard' row, the expected column count will be wrong.

Examples

Detect a row with an extra comma
Header: id,name Row 2: 1,Alice Row 3: 2,"Bob, Jr" <-- quoted comma (can look 'broken' to simple split) Tool may flag line 3 as broken.
Find missing columns
Header: id,name,age Row: 3,Charlie Expected: 3 columns -> broken row

Related tools

CSV Delimiter Detector
First confirm whether the file uses commas or another separator.
CSV Column Count Checker
Quickly check expected columns from the first row.
CSV Inspector
Run broken-row checks alongside delimiter and column tools.

Workflows (kits)

CSV Debug Kit
A workflow to detect delimiters and broken rows quickly.