Open Unicode CSV Files Correctly in Excel

If your CSV includes accented letters, non-Latin scripts, or special symbols, Excel may display “garbled” characters unless the file is opened with the correct encoding.

Below are two common ways to open a Unicode CSV correctly: importing from within Excel, or converting the file first using Notepad.

Option 1: Import the CSV Using Excel’s Data Import Feature

Important: This is the most reliable method because you can choose the encoding during import.

Open Excel and import the file using the Data tab:

Excel Data tab - From Text/CSV

Open Microsoft Excel and create a new workbook
Go to the Data tab
Click From Text/CSV (or Get Data > From File > From Text/CSV)
Select your CSV file and click Import
In the preview window, set File Origin / Encoding to Unicode (UTF-8)
Confirm characters look correct, then click Load

Excel import preview - Encoding set to UTF-8

Option 2: Open in Notepad and Save as UTF-8 (BOM), Then Open in Excel

Important: Use this if you prefer opening CSVs directly (double-click), or if Excel import options aren’t available in your version.

First, open the CSV in Notepad:

CSV opened in Notepad

Right-click the CSV file
Choose Open with > Notepad
Click File > Save As
Set Encoding to UTF-8 with BOM
Set Save as type to All Files
Save the file (overwrite or save a copy)
Open the saved CSV in Excel

Notepad Save As - Encoding set to UTF-8 with BOM