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Saving CSV/Excel file as UTF-8 Encoded– Import Export Suite For WooCommerce

Last updated on October 18, 2023

When using the Import Export Suite for WooCommerce plugin, the input CSV file must be encoded in UTF-8 format. This ensures that all your post types, such as products, orders, users, etc., are imported accurately. During import, you can avoid unnecessary characters like ž, ?, etc. If the CSV file is not UTF-8 encoded, then symbols like ™, ®, ©, etc. get converted to unwanted characters.

This article explains how to apply UTF-8 encoding with major spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel and Notepad for Windows, and Apple Numbers and TextEdit for Mac. Since Google Sheets is a widely used spreadsheet application, this article also explains a UTF-8 encoding with Google Sheets.

What is UTF-8 encoding?

A character in UTF-8 can be from 1 to 4 bytes long. UTF-8 can represent any character in the Unicode standard and it is also backward compatible with ASCII as well. It is the most preferred encoding for e-mail and web pages. It is the dominant character encoding for the worldwide web.

Here are two samples:

Spread sheet not UTF-8 encoded
Sample1: Unencoded UTF-8 spreadsheet
Sample2: Spreadsheet not UTF-8 encoded
Sample2: Unencoded UTF-8 spreadsheet

How to Save a CSV file as UTF-8 using Libre Office?

Step 1 – To save a CSV file as UTF-8 encoded, follow the steps below: Open LibreOffice and go to Files from the menubar. Click on open and select the file from the computer that you want to save as a UTF-8 encoded file.

Step 2 – After opening the file go to File > Save as. From the dialog box that opens, type the name of the file and select Text CSV (.csv) from the Save as type drop-down.

Check the Edit filter settings options.

Saving file in CSV format
Save file as CSV

Click on Save.

Step 3 – From the Export Text File dialog box that appears, select the Unicode (UTF-8) option from the Character set drop-down.
Step 4 – Set the field and text delimiter as you wish or leave as is.

Encode as UTF-8
Encode as UTF-8

Step 5 – Click OK.

This will save the file as UTF-8 encoded in Libre Office.

How to Save a CSV file as UTF-8 using Google Spreadsheet?

To save the CSV file as UTF-8 encoded, you can upload the file on Google Drive and easily store it as UTF-8. The steps are as given below:

Step 1 – First, open your Google Drive account. Click on the NEW button on the top left corner, and click Upload files option.

File upload option in Google Drive
File upload option in Google Drive

Step 2 – Browse for the required CSV file and start uploading it.

Step 3 – Open the uploaded file with Google Spreadsheet.

Step 4 – Navigate to File > Download as, and select Comma-separated values (.csv, current sheet) option.

Download as CSV option in Google Sheets
Download as CSV option in Google Sheets

The downloaded file gets saved as UTF-8 encoded by default and can be imported correctly when uploaded into our Import Export Suite for WooCommerce plugin.

How to Save the CSV file as UTF-8 in Microsoft Excel?

The steps are as given below:

Step 1 – Open the CSV file with a Microsoft Excel sheet.

Step 2 – Navigate to the File menu option and click Save As.

The window appears as shown below:

Save As option in Microsoft Excel
Save As option in Microsoft Excel

Step 3 – Click Browse to select a location to save the file.

The Save As window appears as shown below:

Save As option in Microsoft Excel
Save As option in Microsoft Excel

Step 4 – Enter the name of the file.

Step 5 – Select the Save as type as CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv)option.

Step 6 – Click Tools drop-down box and click Web OptionsA new window for web options appears as shown below:

Web Options
Web Options

Step 7 – Under the Encoding tab, select the option Unicode (UTF-8) from Save this document as drop-down list.

Finally, click Ok, and save the file.

How to Save a CSV file as UTF-8 with Notepad?

The steps are as given below: Open the CSV file with Notepad.

Step 1 – Open the CSV file with Notepad.

Step 2 – Navigate to File > Save As option. A screenshot of the menu is as shown below:

Notepad File Menu
Notepad File Menu

Step 3 – Select the location for the file.

The Save As window appears as shown below:

Save As option in Notepad
Save As option in Notepad

Step 4 – Select the Save as type option as All Files(*.*).

Step 5 – Specify the file name with .csv extension.

Step 6 – From the Encoding drop-down list, select UTF-8 option.

Step 7 – Click Save to save the file.

This way, you can save a file as a UTF-8 encoded with Notepad.

How to Save a CSV file as UTF-8 in Apple’s Numbers?

The steps are as given below:

Step 1 – Open the file with Apple Numbers.

Step 2 – Navigate to File > Export To  > CSV. A screenshot of the settings is as shown below:

Exporting to CSV with Apple Numbers
Exporting to CSV with Apple Numbers

Step 3 – Under Advanced Options, select Unicode(UTF-8) option for Text Encoding. A screenshot of the settings is as shown below:

Advanced Options in Apple Numbers
Advanced Options in Apple Numbers

Step 4 – Click Next.

Further settings appear as shown in the screenshot below:

Export option in Apple Numbers
Export option in Apple Numbers

Step 5 – Enter the name of the file and click Export to save your file with the UTF-8 encoding.

How to save a CSV file as UTF-8 in TextEdit?

The steps are as given below:

Step 1 – Open the file with TextEdit.

Step 2 – Navigate to Format > Make Plain Text.

A screenshot of the menu is as shown below:

Format menu in TextEdit
Format menu in TextEdit

Step 3 – Navigate to File > Save.

It is shown as below:

File menu in TextEdit
File menu in TextEdit

Step 4 – From the Plain Text Encoding drop-down list, select Unicode(UTF-8).

Step 5 – Finally, click Save to save the file.

For customer queries and support, contact WebToffee support.

To know more about other features of the plugin, read the documentation.