Resolving CSV Import Errors: Encoding and Delimiters

When importing a Comma-Separated Values (.csv) file into Google Sheets, data often displays as an unformatted mess: all values clumped together into Column A, accented letters replaced with scrambled symbols (é, ’, “), or decimal numbers turning into dates. These errors occur when Google Sheets misidentifies the file’s delimiter (the character separating columns) or its character encoding (how text characters are stored in binary).

Quick Answer

CSV import errors stem from delimiter mismatches (such as European semicolon-delimited files) or non-UTF-8 encoding. To fix this, import the file via File > Import, change “Separator type” from “Detect automatically” to Custom or Semicolon, and re-save the original CSV using UTF-8 encoding before uploading.

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Diagnosing the Core Symptoms

Before modifying your file, match your specific visual symptom to its underlying technical cause:

Visual Symptom in Google Sheets	Root Cause	Immediate Diagnostic Check
All text appears in Column A with commas or semicolons visible between words.	Delimiter mismatch. Google Sheets used the wrong separator rule.	Inspect the raw text: are values separated by semicolons (;) or tabs rather than commas?
Garbled symbols (mojibake): Names like “Müller” appear as “Müller” or “Rene”.	Encoding mismatch. File was saved in ANSI, Windows-1252, or ISO-8859-1 instead of UTF-8.	Open the CSV in a text editor to verify character rendering.
Rows split into fragmented lines across random columns.	Unescaped line breaks or quotes. A text field contains a raw carriage return without matching quotes.	Search the raw CSV for unclosed quotation marks (").
Decimals converted to dates (e.g., 5.12 becomes May 12).	Locale mismatch. Regional settings conflict over whether commas or periods denote decimals.	Check spreadsheet locale under File > Settings.

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Step-by-Step Resolution Procedures

1. Fix Delimiter Clumping (Semicolon vs. Comma)

European accounting software and Excel exports in European regions use semicolons (;) as delimiters because commas are reserved as decimal separators. When Google Sheets runs in a US locale, its auto-detection frequently fails to separate these values.

1. Open your target Google Sheet.
2. Go to File > Import and select your CSV.
3. On the configuration screen, locate the Separator type dropdown.
4. Do not leave it on “Detect automatically.”
5. Choose Semicolon (or select Custom and enter ; or | if your export uses pipe delimiters).
6. Click Import data.

Problem Data:
InvoiceID;ClientName;Amount;Status
1001;Acme Corp;1250,50;Paid

Import Setting:
Separator Type ──► Custom ──► [ ; ]
Result: Splits properly into 4 distinct columns.

If your formulas encounter calculation errors related to regional semicolon syntax, refer to Fix: “Formula Parse Error” (The Semicolon Bug).

2. Fix Character Encoding (Mojibake and Corrupted Text)

Google Sheets expects all plain-text imports to use UTF-8 character encoding. If a file was exported from older enterprise software (such as legacy SQL dumps or older desktop Excel), it is likely encoded in Windows-1252 (ANSI).

Fixing the encoding in Windows Notepad:

1. Open the CSV file in standard Windows Notepad.
2. Click File > Save As.
3. In the save dialog, locate the Encoding dropdown at the bottom.
4. Change the selection from ANSI to UTF-8 (or UTF-8 with BOM).
5. Save the file and re-import it into Google Sheets.

Fixing the encoding on macOS (Terminal):
If you have a large file, run the iconv utility to convert the encoding instantly without opening heavy applications:

iconv -f WINDOWS-1252 -t UTF-8 input.csv > output_utf8.csv

3. Resolving Locale and Decimal Confusion

If numbers like 1.500 are imported as 1500 or text strings:

1. In Google Sheets, click File > Settings.
2. Under the General tab, examine the Locale setting.
3. If your CSV originates from Europe or South America, change your locale to a matching country (e.g., Germany or Brazil) so Sheets interprets comma decimals correctly.
4. Re-import the CSV.

If your workflow involves dynamic web imports via functions rather than manual file uploads, see Why IMPORTDATA Fails for Large CSV/TSV Files. For a broader breakdown of supported data conversion parameters, consult The Complete List of Supported Drive Conversion Formats.