Special Characters Not Importing

To ensure that your CSV file displays international and special characters correctly across browsers and systems, it's crucial to save it with UTF-8 encoding. Here's how to handle this in both Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets:

Using Microsoft Excel

Current Versions of Excel:

1. Open your CSV file in Excel.
2. Go to the "File" menu and select "Save As."
3. Choose "CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (*.csv)" from the "Save as type" dropdown menu.
4. Click "Save."

This option ensures that your CSV file is saved with the correct UTF-8 encoding.

Older Versions of Excel (e.g., Excel 2007):

1. Open your CSV file in Excel.
2. Click on the "File" menu and select "Save As."
3. In the "Save As" window, click the "Tools" button (located near the "Save" button).
4. Select "Web Options" from the dropdown menu.
5. Go to the "Encoding" tab.
6. Choose "Unicode (UTF-8)" from the "Save this document as" dropdown menu.
7. Click "OK" and then "Save."

Note: For versions prior to Excel 2007, UTF-8 encoding support may be limited. In such cases, using another tool or method to ensure proper encoding is recommended.

Using Google Sheets

1. Create a new Google Spreadsheet.
2. Go to the "File" menu, select "Import," and then choose "Upload."
3. Upload your CSV file from your computer.
4. Once the file is imported, go to the "File" menu again and select "Download as."
5. Choose "Comma-separated values (.csv, current sheet)."

The downloaded file will now be a properly encoded CSV file with UTF-8 format.

By following these steps, you can ensure that your CSV files are correctly encoded and that special characters are displayed properly across different platforms and systems.

Updated on: 12/11/2026