Fix garbled characters in a CSV export
Use an encoding preview and UTF-8 output instead of guessing from the filename.
Put it into practice
Try the tool CSV Encoding Converter · Free, with local processing.
Recognize the mismatch
A character can look wrong when software reads bytes with the wrong encoding. The text may still be recoverable if you have the original export. Start from that original rather than a file repeatedly saved after the error.
Put this guide into practice with the CSV Encoding Converter. Review the tool’s inputs, example and limitations alongside your result.
Preview the original encoding
Choose the file in CSV Encoding Converter. Select the encoding used by the exporting application. UTF-8 is common for web exports; older Windows exports may use Windows-1252. Review names, accents, currency symbols, and non-Latin text in the preview.
Export an appropriate UTF-8 copy
Choose UTF-8 with BOM when you need a copy that Excel can recognize more readily. Microsoft documents that UTF-8 CSV files saved with a BOM can be opened normally in Excel. Plain UTF-8 may suit another system better, so check the receiving application's requirements.
Know when conversion cannot help
A replacement symbol can mean the original character was discarded during a previous save. Re-encoding that damaged copy cannot reconstruct the lost character. Obtain a fresh export if possible.
Check more than the accents
Verify the header, row count, quoted commas, and a few sample records after conversion. Encoding fixes do not restore formulas, spreadsheet formatting, or leading zeros already lost by another program.
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