Free online FIT to CSV converter

What the FIT format is

FIT, short for Flexible and Interoperable Data Transfer, is a compact binary format designed for sports and fitness data. Garmin devices and applications commonly create FIT files for activities containing timestamps, GPS coordinates, distance, speed, heart rate, cadence, power, elevation, laps, sessions, and device metadata.

You may encounter a FIT file after exporting an activity from Garmin Connect or copying it from a compatible watch, cycling computer, running sensor, or training platform. Because FIT is binary, it is not practical to edit with a normal text editor or spreadsheet.

What the CSV format is

CSV stores tabular data as plain text, with values separated by commas or another delimiter. Spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel and LibreOffice Calc can open it, and programming languages, databases, and command-line tools can process it without a specialized FIT decoder.

CSV is useful for filtering activity records, calculating statistics, combining data from multiple files, and importing selected fields into analysis software. It is less suitable for preserving the full FIT data model because CSV does not natively represent binary fields, nested structures, multiple message types, or device-specific metadata.

How to convert FIT to CSV

Using the Garmin FIT SDK

1. Download the Garmin FIT SDK from Garmin's developer resources and extract the archive.
2. Open the SDK's Java tools directory and locate FitCSVTool.jar.
3. Run the converter with Java, replacing the filenames as needed:

java -jar FitCSVTool.jar -b activity.fit activity.csv

The -b option tells FitCSVTool to decode a binary FIT file. On systems where the output path contains spaces, enclose each path in quotation marks. Java must be installed and available as the java command.

FitCSVTool can also be opened as a graphical application on systems configured to launch JAR files. Select the FIT file, choose CSV output, and save the result with a .csv extension. The exact menu layout depends on the SDK version.

Using the 101convert online converter

You can convert the file for free on the 101convert.com website without installing software. Upload the FIT file, select CSV as the output format, start the conversion, and download the generated file. Avoid uploading activities containing sensitive location or health data when a local conversion is required.

Quality and compatibility considerations

A FIT file can contain several message types, so the CSV output may not be a simple table with one row per activity. Garmin's FIT CSV representation can include definitions and data rows for records, events, laps, sessions, device information, and other messages. For spreadsheet analysis, import the file and filter for the message type and fields you need, such as timestamp, position, heart rate, or distance.

CSV conversion does not restore information that was never recorded or that the exporting device omitted. GPS coordinates may be absent indoors, timestamps may use device-specific time fields, and manufacturer-specific fields may require FIT SDK definitions to decode correctly.

Check the delimiter, character encoding, decimal separator, and timestamp interpretation after opening the result. Spreadsheet software can automatically reinterpret timestamps, long numbers, or latitude and longitude values; import the CSV with explicit column types when precision matters.

Keep the original FIT file as the archival copy. CSV is easier to edit but does not reliably preserve FIT checksums, message definitions, developer fields, or the complete binary structure needed to recreate an identical FIT file.