Fix CSV Encoding
Read CSV files encoded as Shift-JIS, UTF-16, or UTF-8 and save them as Excel-friendly UTF-8 CSV with BOM. Everything runs in your browser.
Checks before and after data conversion
1Before converting
- Keep the source file and confirm its encoding and data format.
- Check whether the first row contains headers and whether field names look correct.
- For personal or sensitive data, confirm where processing happens and who will receive the output.
2After converting
- Use the preview to verify text, column names, and row counts.
- Open the result in Excel or the destination system and check dates and long numbers.
- Save the converted file under a new name so it can be compared with the source.
Common next steps
What is Fix CSV Encoding?
Use this when a Japanese CSV opens as garbled text in Excel or another spreadsheet app. The tool decodes the source file and exports a clean UTF-8 CSV with BOM, which Excel handles more reliably.
Convert CSV for Excel
Decode Japanese Shift-JIS CSV or UTF-16 CSV and save it as UTF-8 with BOM, a format Excel usually opens more reliably.
Garbled characters usually mean the CSV source encoding does not match the encoding expected by Excel. Select the original encoding, then export a clean UTF-8 CSV.
Supported encodings
- Shift-JIS CSV from Japanese Windows and Excel workflows
- UTF-8 and UTF-8 CSV with BOM
- UTF-16 LE and UTF-16 BE
- UTF-8 output with or without BOM
Choosing the output encoding
How to use
- 1Upload a CSV file
- 2Choose the source encoding
- 3Choose the output format
- 4Download the fixed CSV
FAQ
Can it read Shift-JIS?
Yes. Choose Shift-JIS as the source encoding, then export as UTF-8 with BOM.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The conversion runs locally in your browser.
Why export UTF-8 with BOM?
The BOM helps Excel recognize the file as UTF-8, which reduces garbled Japanese text.
Related tools
Need help choosing the right workflow?
The guide section covers format differences, compression tips, and common PDF workflows.