Best Ways to Reduce Large CSV File Size Without Data Loss

Have you ever experienced problems while uploading, opening, or processing a large CSV file? Then the solution is very simple, as you’ll get in this article, where we’ll tell how to split it into smaller, manageable CSV files using both manual & automated ways to reduce large CSV file size.

CSV files are a widely adopted file format for storing and managing structured data. You'll be using CSV files in exporting customer lists, records of financial activity, or frequently used data with larger datasets because it is the preferred data file format for both professionals and individuals. However, it becomes larger as well, which may hinder the CSV file size limit.

Why Do Massive CSVs Become a Challenge?

Large CSV files frequently lead to:

• Uploading Errors: Many online applications and databases limit how large a file you can upload, which causes an upload failure.
• Slow Performance: When opening a huge CSV file in Excel or Google Sheets, your system may run slowly and may freeze or crash.
• Memory Issues: If you have a system with low RAM, it may have difficulty with large data files, causing a freeze or another error.
• CSV File Size Limit: For example, with Microsoft Excel, there are limits on rows and columns; Google Sheets limits files to 10 million cells.

These limitations make managing CSV files necessary.

Effective Methods to Reduce Large CSV File Size

1. Remove unnecessary data
2. Compress the CSV File
3. Use an Automated Method

Let’s understand how they work:

Tip 1: Remove Unnecessary Data

1. CSV files might have unwanted columns, blank rows, or duplicate values. Removing recurring data will help lower the file size.

Steps:

1. Open CSV file in Excel or a text editor.
2. Remove any columns that are not needed, empty spaces, or duplicate values.
3. Then, click on Save file.

Cons: This method will not work on very large files, as it’s compatible with moderately large CSV files. Excel will likely not open a very large CSV file.

Tip 2: Compress CSV File

Compacting the file helps to lessen the space and make sharing and management easier. 

Steps: 

1. Click on File > Send To > Compressed Zipped Folder.
2. Now, you can easily open CSV file with a ZIP extension.

Cons: This won’t help if the platform has its own file size limit during the importing process.

These are two manual methods which help to reduce large CSV file size, but they contain many limitations which need to be avoided. So we recommend using the automated solution given below.

Tip 3: Fix CSV file Size Limit Error with a Professional Tool

If you’re working on small files, then the above methods will help you out. But they are not effective for massive datasets. This is where an automated solution is required. SysTools CSV Splitter Tool is specifically designed to manage large CSV files without data loss. It provides a simple way for you to reduce large CSV file.

Key Features of this Aforementioned Tool

• Split by Size or Records: The tool can split a CSV file into multiple smaller files based on file size (MB/GB), rows, or columns.
• No Data Loss: Your data will remain intact during the split process.
• No Excel Required: Some CSV files too large to open in Excel, but the tool will handle them.
• Very Easy to Use: The tool is user-friendly for technical and non-technical users alike.
• Fast & Dependable: On the surface, the tool has no problem handling an extremely large CSV file without crashing.

How to Reduce Large CSV File Size Using Step-by-Step Guide

1. Download & Run the above-mentioned software.
2. 
3. Click on Add files option to import large CSV file that you want to split.
4. 
5. Select your splitting option: by size or by records.
6. 
7. Choose the destination path for your produced files.
8. 
9. Click on Split button to divide the file into manageable & accessible parts.
10. 

Conclusion

In this article, we've discussed how to reduce large CSV file size using both manual and automated methods. Where, if you're working on small files, then the above manual methods will help you out, but if you're working on a huge file, then only the recommended automated utility will help in fixing the CSV file size limit and make it into a smaller, accessible, manageable file.