Free online CSV to OV2 converter

What the CSV format is

CSV means comma-separated values. It stores records as text rows, with fields separated by commas or another delimiter such as semicolons. Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc, Google Sheets, database tools, GPS applications, and geocoding services commonly create CSV files.

A location CSV normally contains a name and geographic coordinates, for example Name,Longitude,Latitude. Coordinates should use decimal degrees, with longitude before latitude when the converter specifies that order. Remove thousands separators from numbers and use a period as the decimal separator.

What the OV2 format is

OV2 is TomTom’s binary format for points of interest. It stores records such as a location’s longitude, latitude, and description so that TomTom devices and compatible applications can display custom POIs.

Unlike CSV, OV2 is not intended for manual editing. Its binary structure makes it compact and faster for navigation software to read, but it also means that spreadsheet programs cannot open it directly. A separate .ov2 file is normally created for one POI category, such as restaurants, speed cameras, or delivery stops.

How to actually convert CSV to OV2

Before converting, create a backup of the CSV and verify that every row has valid coordinates. A practical CSV layout is:

Name,Longitude,Latitude
Warehouse 1,-0.1276,51.5072
Warehouse 2,2.3522,48.8566

1. Open the CSV in a spreadsheet application and confirm that the longitude and latitude columns are numeric decimal-degree values.
2. Remove blank rows, duplicate locations, invalid coordinates, and extra fields that are not needed for the POI name or position.
3. Save the file as UTF-8 CSV. Keep the header if the converter supports headers; otherwise remove it.
4. On 101convert.com, choose the CSV-to-OV2 converter, upload the CSV, and set the coordinate and name columns if the interface requests them.
5. Start the conversion and download the generated .ov2 file. Rename it with a descriptive category name, such as Warehouses.ov2.
6. Copy the OV2 file to the TomTom device or software location used for custom points of interest. The exact folder varies by TomTom model and application; follow that product’s POI-import procedure.

The online converter can be used free on 101convert.com without installing software. For repeated offline conversions, desktop utilities such as GPSBabel may also export CSV location data to TomTom OV2, but their CSV field mapping must be configured so longitude, latitude, and the POI label are assigned correctly.

Quality and compatibility limits

OV2 stores geographic positions and labels, not the full structure of a spreadsheet. Formulas, multiple worksheets, styling, arbitrary columns, images, and extended metadata are discarded during conversion.

Check the coordinate order carefully: swapping latitude and longitude can place every POI on the wrong continent. Valid latitude is from -90 to 90; valid longitude is from -180 to 180. South and west coordinates must retain their minus signs.

Character support and maximum label length depend on the TomTom device or application. Test a small sample on the target device before converting a large database, and keep the original CSV because OV2 cannot be conveniently edited as plain text.