Inkwell Data / File converter / Fix CSV encoding
Fix garbled characters in a CSV
Names showing up as "José" or "Jos�"? That's an encoding mix-up. Add the file, check that the preview reads correctly, and download a clean UTF-8 CSV that Excel opens properly.
How it works
Most garbled CSVs were saved by Excel on Windows (Windows-1252) and opened as UTF-8, or the other way round. Files that aren't valid UTF-8 are detected and read correctly automatically. If the preview still looks wrong, open File looks wrong? under the file name and pick the text encoding yourself.
The download is UTF-8 with Excel's marker turned on, so accents and symbols display correctly when you double-click it.
Questions
Why does Excel show strange characters?
Excel assumes an older encoding for CSV files unless the file starts with a small UTF-8 marker. The download includes that marker.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. Your file is read by your own browser and processed on your device.