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How to Save CSV and Excel Files as UTF-8 Encoded?

Last updated on October 1, 2024

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, symbols like ™, ®, ©, etc., get converted to unwanted characters.

What is UTF-8 encoding?

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

Save CSV/Excel files in UTF-8 Format?

This article explains how UTF-8 encoding can be applied to significant spreadsheet applications such as Microsoft Excel, Notepad for Windows, 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.

Save CSV file as UTF-8 using Google Sheets

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 the NEW button in the top left corner, and then click the File upload 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 > Downloadand select the Comma-separated values (.csv) 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.

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.

Save CSV file as UTF-8 using LibreOffice

  • 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 you want to save as a UTF-8 encoded file from the computer.
  • Step 2 – After opening the file, Go to File > Save as. From the dialog box that opens, type the file name and select Text CSV (.csv) from the Save as type drop-down.
  • Check the Edit filter settings options.
Edit filter settings
Edit filter settings
  • Click on Save.
  • Step 3 – In the Confirm File Format dialogue box, click on the Use Text CSV Format button.
Confirm file format
Confirm file format
  • Step 4 – From the Export Text File dialog box that appears, select the Unicode (UTF-8) option from the Character set drop-down menu.
  • Step 5 – Set the field and text delimiter as you wish, or leave it as is.
Encode as UTF-8
Encode as UTF-8
  • Step 5 – Click OK.

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

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 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.

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

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 shown below:

Format menu in TextEdit
  • Step 3 – Navigate to File > Save.

It is shown as below:

Make plain text in TextEdit
Make plain text 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 learn more about the other features of the plugin, read the documentation.