CSV Encoding Converter
Change CSV character encoding to fix garbled text. Convert between UTF-8, Windows-1252, ISO-8859-1, and more. Essential for Excel compatibility.
Last updated: April 2026
Click or drag CSV file to upload
Select the current encoding of the uploaded file
Select the desired output encoding
CSV Character Encoding Converter
Garbled text and "Mojibake" are common headaches when sharing CSV files across different platforms. Our **CSV Encoding Converter** allows you to change the underlying character encoding of your file to ensure compatibility with Excel, Google Sheets, and legacy database systems.
Supported Encodings
- UTF-8: The universal standard for the web and modern applications.
- UTF-8 with BOM: Specifically for Microsoft Excel to ensure correct character display.
- ISO-8859-1 (Latin-1): Common in older European systems and legacy databases.
- UTF-16: Often used in Windows-specific applications and large character sets.
How to Fix Garbled Characters
If your CSV contains strange symbols where accented characters or emojis should be, upload the file and try different "Source Encoding" options. Once the preview looks correct, convert and download the file in your desired format (usually UTF-8).
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need to convert CSV encoding?
Different operating systems and applications use different character encodings. For example, Excel often expects 'UTF-8 with BOM' to display special characters correctly, while Unix systems prefer standard 'UTF-8'.
Will this fix 'garbled' characters?
Yes, if you have a file that looks like 'é' instead of 'é', it's likely an encoding mismatch. By selecting the correct source encoding (usually ISO-8859-1) and converting to UTF-8, you can restore the correct characters.