How to Open UTF-8 CSV Files in Excel Without Garbled Characters
SheetHub7 min
You exported a CSV from your CRM, and the names look like ñ or æ±‰å— instead of señor or 汉字. Opening UTF-8 encoded files in Excel has been a headache for years, especially if you work with international data.
Excel finally has reliable workarounds — from the modern Power Query method to a quick Google Sheets trick.
Excel defaults to the Windows-1252 (ANSI) encoding when opening CSV files with the old double-click approach. Windows-1252 only supports Western European characters, so anything outside that range — Japanese, Chinese, accented European letters, emoji — comes through as garbage.
The encoding mismatch happens because CSV files have no standard way to declare their encoding. Unlike HTML or XML, a
Power Query handles UTF-8 correctly and gives you preview before importing. This works in Excel 365, 2024, and 2021.
The legacy Import Wizard works when Power Query is not available or when you want more control over column types.
If you regularly create CSV files from scripts or databases, adding a BOM at the start of the file tells Excel it is UTF-8 — even when you double-click.
A BOM is a three-byte sequence (
The
If Excel keeps garbling your CSV, use Google Sheets as a middleman. Sheets detects UTF-8 automatically.
Perfect for the occasional CSV import — no need to remember the Import Wizard settings.
Once you fix a garbled CSV, these habits keep it from happening again:
I default to Power Query for this — it handles UTF-8 natively, and once set up, refreshing with new CSVs takes seconds instead of headaches.
Why Does Excel Garble UTF-8 CSV?
.csv file does not include a charset declaration. Excel guesses, and it guesses wrong for UTF-8.
Which versions are affected:
| Excel Version | Double-Click | Power Query | Import Wizard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel 365 | ❌ Garbled | ✅ UTF-8 | ✅ UTF-8 |
| Excel 2024 | ❌ Garbled | ✅ UTF-8 | ✅ UTF-8 |
| Excel 2021 | ❌ Garbled | ✅ UTF-8 | ✅ UTF-8 |
| Excel 2019 | ❌ Garbled | ✅ UTF-8 | ❌ ANSI only |
| Excel 2016 | ❌ Garbled | ⚠️ Partial | ❌ ANSI only |
Why UTF-8 Matters
UTF-8 is the standard encoding for web exports, CRMs, SaaS platforms, and modern databases. If your data comes from a cloud service, it is almost certainly UTF-8.
Method 1: Power Query (Recommended)
1
Go to Data > Get Data > From File > From Text/CSV. Excel opens a file picker. Select your CSV file.
2
Check the encoding in the preview window. Power Query auto-detects the encoding. Verify it shows UTF-8 in the file origin dropdown near the bottom-left of the preview.
3
Adjust settings if needed. If the preview shows garbled text, change File Origin to 65001: Unicode (UTF-8). Also check the delimiter setting matches your file (comma, semicolon, or tab).
4
Choose how to load. Click Load to add the data to a new worksheet, or Transform Data to clean the data in Power Query Editor before loading.
Set Once, Save Forever
After importing via Power Query, save your workbook as an
.xlsx file. The next time you open it, the data stays intact. Power Query also refreshes when you replace the source CSV with an updated file.Method 2: Import Wizard (Classic)
1
Go to Data > From Text/CSV. This opens the same modern import dialog from Method 1. If you prefer the classic wizard, go to Data > Get Data > Legacy Wizards > From Text (Legacy) instead.
2
Set File Origin to 65001: Unicode (UTF-8). This tells Excel to decode the file as UTF-8 instead of the default Windows-1252.
3
Choose the delimiter. Select Comma, Semicolon, Tab, or Other depending on your CSV structure. The preview updates in real time so you can confirm the data looks correct.
4
Set column data types. Click each column in the preview and set the data type (General, Text, Date). This prevents Excel from auto-converting things like product codes into dates.
5
Click Finish. Choose whether to load the data to an existing worksheet or a new one.
Method 3: Add a BOM (Byte Order Mark)
EF BB BF) placed at the very beginning of the file. Excel detects it and switches to UTF-8 automatically.
How to save CSV with BOM from different tools:
VS Code or Notepad++
- VS Code: File > Save with Encoding > UTF-8 with BOM
- Notepad++: Encoding > Encode in UTF-8-BOM, then Save
Python script
import csv
with open("output.csv", "w", encoding="utf-8-sig", newline="") as f:
writer = csv.writer(f)
writer.writerows(data)utf-8-sig encoding adds the BOM automatically.Google Sheets export
Go to File > Download > Comma-separated values (.csv). Google Sheets exports with UTF-8 encoding but does not add a BOM — use one of the other methods above for Sheets exports.BOM Is Not Foolproof
Some systems (Linux, older PHP scripts) treat the BOM as data. If your CSV is consumed by non-Microsoft tools, test with a small file first to make sure the BOM does not break parsing.
Method 4: Google Sheets Workaround
1
Open Google Sheets and go to File > Import > Upload.
2
Select your CSV file. Google Sheets reads the encoding and displays the data correctly.
3
Go to File > Download > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx). The exported file keeps the correct encoding and opens properly in Excel.
Prevention Tips
Export with UTF-8 by Default
Most CRMs, analytics tools, and databases let you choose the export encoding. Always pick UTF-8 over ANSI or Windows-1252. If UTF-8 with BOM is an option, select it.
- Save your Excel file after importing. Once the data is in
.xlsxformat, encoding is no longer an issue. The same principle applies to other Excel data management features — once you set it up right, it stays right. - Automate with Power Query. Set up a Power Query connection to your CSV folder. Each time you add a new file, refresh the query.
- Test one row first. Import a preview of your CSV before loading all rows. Most garbled data shows up immediately in the preview window.
- Use the same delimiter throughout. If your CSV mixes commas and semicolons (some European exports use semicolons because comma is the decimal separator), Excel may misalign columns.
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| All text is garbled | Change File Origin to UTF-8 (65001) |
| Only accented characters fail | Add BOM to the CSV file |
| Data shifted one column right | Check delimiter — switch to Semicolon |
| Dates show as numbers | Set column type to Date during import |
Summary
| Method | Best For | Ease |
|---|---|---|
| Power Query | Regular imports, large files | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Import Wizard | One-off imports | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Add BOM | CSV creators (script writers) | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Google Sheets | Rare imports, no-fuss fix | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
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