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Excel may display gibberish in UTF-8 CSV files without BOM. The solution is to convert the CSV to UTF-8 with BOM using a text editor: open the file in a text editor, save it as UTF-8 with BOM, then reopen in Excel. This simple process ensures proper display of non-ASCII characters without encoding issues.

The Problem: CSV File Encoding Issues in Excel

When opening CSV files in Excel, you may encounter gibberish characters. This occurs because Excel struggles to correctly interpret non-ASCII characters in UTF-8 encoded CSV files.

The Cause: Excel's Encoding Expectations

Excel, due to historical reasons and compatibility concerns, expects CSV files to be saved with UTF-8 with BOM (Byte Order Mark) encoding. BOM is a file header used in Windows to indicate the file's encoding type, which is not typically present in macOS/Linux files.

The Solution: Convert to UTF-8 with BOM

To resolve this issue, simply convert your UTF-8 encoded CSV file to UTF-8 with BOM encoding. This small change will eliminate the gibberish problem in Excel.

How to Convert the File:

  1. Open your CSV file in a text editor (e.g., Notepad, Sublime Text, VS Code)
  1. Look for "Save with Encoding" or similar option in the file menu
  1. Select "UTF-8 with BOM" as the encoding option
  1. Save the file and reopen it in Excel
By following these steps, you'll be able to view your CSV file correctly in Excel without any encoding issues.
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Zhenye Dong
Zhenye Dong
Product Manager | New Dad | New Blogger
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