As always, in this section we will explain situations that often occur. Like the difficulty opening certain jobs because of their format. We will teach you why when you open an Excel CSV file you get symbols and Chinese characters? But what are CSV files? We clarify that doubt.
CSV file
Its acronym (comma-separated values) or in Spanish (comma-separated values). It is a file format used to share data in tabular form. That is, the information is structured in rows and columns. It also includes characters such as commas (,) and special characters, including eñes, accents and umlauts.
Believe it or not, this format is very popular, because it allows you to share information between many different applications. This file can be generated from an accounting program, online application or Excel. Due to these facilities, it is very convenient to create backups or save files in CSV format, so that you can open it in any program without worrying in which application you generated it.
Why do Chinese symbols or characters appear when opening a CSV file?
When you get special characters or symbols, it’s usually because the CSV file is in Unicode UTF-16 format. This means that the file is encoded so that it can be opened in word processors that handle or support 16 bits.
And when these files are opened with Libre Office, such as open Office (they are office software that includes the equivalent of Word, a slide editor and spreadsheets), they are usually not compatible with these formats. So it is usual to find these errors.
The solution for this error
- Try to open the file with Libre Office.
- A window will appear in which you will see some special characters and Chinese letters in the default section.
- Go to the “Import” section in the “character set” field and select “Unicode UTF-8” in the drop-down bar, indicating that it is 8 bits. Making the file compatible.
- When you select it, you will notice immediately how the file begins to reflect the data.
- Click on the “Open” button. And the file will open without problems with the correctly structured information.
If you open the file in Excel, but the information has special characters in the places where accents, eñes, umlauts, etc. go. What can we do? Well, we have to use the import or file conversion method. This method is also applicable to importing Notepad to Excel. Next, we will show you the steps:
- First open Excel office software. And create a new book.
- Go to the “Data” tab. In the “Get data from external files” section. Tap the “From a text file” icon.
- A dialog window will appear. In it you will look for the file that reflects that error and we will import.
- You click on “Import”
- In the “Text Import Wizard” box, go to “file source” and select the “Unicode utf-8” option. And press the “Next” button.
- In the box you will see the preview of the document. Recognizing the writing with their respective accents and signs.
- Click on “Finish”. Next, an “Import Data” window will be displayed. You will indicate from which cell you want the information contained in the file to be reflected. Click “OK”.
- And ready..! The document will be opened respecting the special characters such as eñes, accents, characteristic umlauts in our Spanish language. We advise you to save the file. So the next time you open it again you will have no problem.
As you can see, we indicate several tips to deal with these inconveniences. This way you will be able to fix and repair any CSV file that comes your way with special characters or symbols. If you have any type of comment or experience regarding this topic, leave us your comments.
