What is an LDIF file?
LDIF — the LDAP Data Interchange Format, standardized as RFC 2849 — is the plain-text format directories speak when they export their contents. Every LDAP server (OpenLDAP, 389 Directory Server, Apache Directory) and Active Directory's own ldifde tool write it: each entry starts with a dn: line naming the object, followed by one attribute: value line per value, with a blank line between entries. It looks readable in a text editor — until you hit base64-encoded values, folded lines, and change records. For the full anatomy of the format, read What is an LDIF file? in the Learn section.
Who ends up with LDIF files?
Mostly sysadmins and anyone inheriting a directory: exporting users from Active Directory with ldifde, dumping an OpenLDAP tree with ldapsearch, migrating between identity providers, or auditing group memberships before a cleanup. The data you want — names, emails, phone numbers, group memberships — is all in there, but HR, auditors, and spreadsheets want a table, not a directory dump. Converting the export to CSV or Excel is the fastest way to hand it over. (If what you actually have is a contacts export from a phone or email client, you probably want the VCF to CSV converter instead.)
The line shapes inside an LDIF file
- dn: The entry's distinguished name — its unique path in the directory tree. Every entry starts with one.
- attr: value A plain attribute value, like cn: Jane Doe or mail: jane@example.com.
- attr:: base64 A base64-encoded value — used for accented names, non-Latin text, or binary data. Decoded automatically.
- attr:< URL A reference to an external file instead of an inline value. The URL is kept as text, with a warning.
- changetype: Marks a change record — add is kept as a normal entry; modify, delete, and modrdn are counted and skipped.
The converter also unfolds wrapped lines (a continuation line starts with a single space), skips # comment lines, and strips attribute options like displayName;lang-en down to the base attribute name. Columns are built from the union of attributes across all entries — dn first, then each attribute in the order it first appears.
How to convert LDIF to CSV or Excel
- Drop your .ldif or .ldf file above. Parsing happens on your device — your directory data is never uploaded.
- Check the summary: entry count, attribute count, how many base64 values were decoded, and how many change records were skipped.
- Preview every entry — one row each, with dn first.
- Export as CSV for Excel, XLSX, or JSON.
For the step-by-step version and what to watch out for along the way, see How to convert LDIF to CSV.
Troubleshooting LDIF files
Why were some of my values base64-encoded?
LDIF only allows plain printable ASCII directly after a single colon. Any value with accented characters, non-Latin scripts, leading spaces, or binary data gets written with a double colon ("displayName:: Sm9zw6k...") and base64-encoded instead. The converter detects the double colon, decodes the base64 back to bytes, and interprets those bytes as UTF-8 — so "José García" comes out as readable text, not gibberish. The summary shows how many values were decoded.
What happened to my changetype: modify / delete records?
An LDIF file can hold two different things: content entries (a full snapshot of an object) and change records (instructions like changetype: modify that patch an existing object). A modify record isn't a row of data — it only says which attributes to replace — so the converter keeps changetype: add records as normal entries, skips the modify/delete/modrdn records, and tells you how many were skipped in the summary and warnings.
How are multi-valued attributes like memberOf handled?
LDAP attributes can hold several values — a user is typically in many groups, so their entry has one memberOf line per group. A spreadsheet cell can only hold one value, so the converter joins all values of an attribute with "; " into a single cell, keeping every group membership instead of silently dropping all but the first.
Is this LDIF converter really free?
Yes — every file parses and previews free with no signup and no upload. Free exports include the first 100 entries; a one-time $19 license unlocks unlimited exports on every LegacyFile tool.