How do I fix CSV encoding issues?

How do I fix CSV encoding issues?

Quick answer: If your CSV looks weird when you upload it (data in one cell, missing columns, strange characters), it's likely an encoding issue. Here's how to fix it in 2 minutes. 👇

Watch our quick video tutorial

What does an encoding error look like?

When you upload a CSV file to Dropcontact, you might see:

  • ❌ All your data squeezed into a single column
  • ❌ Column headers don't match the data below them
  • ❌ Accented characters replaced by weird symbols (Ă© becomes é)

Why does this happen?
Some versions of Excel or other tools change the file encoding when you open or save a CSV, making it unreadable by other software.

How to fix it

Option 1: Your data comes from Excel or another tool on your computer

The easiest fix:

  1. Export your data as XLS or XLSX instead of CSV (these formats have fewer encoding issues)
  2. Upload the XLS/XLSX file directly to Dropcontact ✅

Alternative fix using Google Sheets:

  1. Go to Google Sheets
  2. Click File > Import and upload your problematic CSV
  3. Check if the data displays correctly
  4. If yes, go to File > Download > CSV to export a clean version
  5. Upload this new CSV to Dropcontact đŸ”„

Option 2: Your data comes from an external tool (CRM, scraper, etc.)

The fix:

  1. Download the CSV file again from your source tool
  2. Don't open it in Excel or any other software
  3. Upload it directly to Dropcontact without opening it first

💡 Pro tip: The encoding gets corrupted when you open the file. By uploading it directly without opening, you preserve the original encoding.

Still not working?
Use the Google Sheets method from Option 1 to clean and re-export your file.

Quick checklist before uploading

Before you drop your file on Dropcontact:

  • ✅ File format is CSV, XLS, or XLSX
  • ✅ You haven't opened and re-saved a CSV in Excel (if you did, use Google Sheets to fix it)
  • ✅ Column headers are in the first row
  • ✅ Data looks normal (no weird characters)

Still stuck?

If none of these solutions work, send your file to support@dropcontact.io and we'll check what's blocking it. 😉

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