Why does Chinese text appear garbled in CSV files?

Garbled text (乱码) occurs when a CSV file is saved in one encoding (like UTF-8) but opened in an application expecting a different encoding (like GBK or GB2312). Excel on Windows is particularly prone to this issue because it defaults to the system encoding rather than UTF-8. The solution is to convert the file to UTF-8 with BOM (Byte Order Mark), which tells Excel to use UTF-8 encoding.

What is the difference between UTF-8 and UTF-8 with BOM?

UTF-8 with BOM includes a special marker (EF BB BF) at the beginning of the file that tells applications like Excel to interpret the file as UTF-8. Regular UTF-8 doesn't have this marker, which can cause Excel to misinterpret the encoding. For Excel compatibility, always use UTF-8 with BOM. For other applications (Mac Numbers, Google Sheets, Linux), regular UTF-8 works fine.

Which encoding should I choose for Excel?

For Excel on Windows, use UTF-8 with BOM. For Excel on Mac, regular UTF-8 works fine. If you're only working with Chinese users on Windows and having issues, GBK is also a good option. UTF-8 with BOM is the safest choice for cross-platform compatibility.

Can this tool fix other languages besides Chinese?

Yes! While optimized for Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), the tool also fixes encoding issues for Japanese (Shift-JIS, EUC-JP), Korean (EUC-KR), and other Asian languages. It can handle any text encoding problem in CSV files.

Will this tool modify my data or CSV structure?

No, the tool only changes the character encoding. Your data, column structure, delimiters, and formatting remain exactly the same. Only the way characters are encoded changes, making them readable in your target application.

Is there a file size limit?

There is no hard file size limit. The tool can handle very large CSV files (100MB+) since all processing happens in your browser. However, extremely large files (1GB+) may take longer to process depending on your computer's performance.

Is my data secure? Do you upload files to a server?

Your data is completely secure. All encoding conversion happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. No files are uploaded to any server, and no data leaves your computer. You can even use this tool offline once the page is loaded.

What if the tool doesn't fix my garbled text?

If automatic detection doesn't work, try manually selecting different source and target encodings. Common combinations: UTF-8 → GBK, GBK → UTF-8, GB2312 → UTF-8. If the original file is severely corrupted or uses a rare encoding, recovery may not be possible.

Can I convert multiple files at once?

Currently, files are processed one at a time. However, the conversion is very fast (usually under a second), so you can quickly process multiple files sequentially. Batch processing may be added in future updates.

How do I prevent encoding issues in the future?

Best practices: 1) Always save CSV files as UTF-8 with BOM when using Excel. 2) When exporting from databases, specify UTF-8 encoding. 3) Use modern text editors (VS Code, Sublime) that handle encoding properly. 4) Test files on target systems before sharing. 5) Document the encoding used when sharing files with others.

CSV Chinese Encoding Fixer

Fix garbled Chinese characters in CSV files instantly. Resolve UTF-8, GBK, GB2312 encoding issues when opening CSV in Excel. Convert messy text to readable Chinese in seconds.

Upload CSV File

CSV Chinese Encoding Fixer Tool Introduction

A powerful CSV encoding repair tool that instantly fixes Chinese character display issues in CSV files. Say goodbye to garbled text (乱码) when opening CSV files in Excel, Google Sheets, or other spreadsheet applications.

This tool automatically detects and converts between different Chinese encodings (UTF-8, GBK, GB2312, Big5) to ensure your Chinese text displays correctly across all platforms and applications.

Key Features:

Automatic encoding detection and conversion
Supports UTF-8, GBK, GB2312, Big5, and more
Fixes garbled Chinese, Japanese, and Korean text
Works with Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, LibreOffice
Preserves CSV structure and formatting
Batch processing for multiple files
No file size limit - handle large datasets
100% client-side - your data never leaves your browser

Common Problems Solved:

Chinese characters showing as "???" or random symbols
Excel displaying gibberish instead of Chinese text
CSV exports from databases with wrong encoding
Data migration between different systems
Cross-platform CSV compatibility issues

CSV Chinese Encoding Fixer User Guide

How to Use

Upload Your CSV File: Click "Upload CSV File" or drag and drop your file
- Supports .csv, .txt files
- No file size limit
- Multiple files can be processed one by one
Automatic Detection: The tool automatically:
- Detects the current encoding (UTF-8, GBK, GB2312, etc.)
- Identifies garbled text patterns
- Determines the correct target encoding
Preview Results: Review the fixed content before downloading
- See before/after comparison
- Verify Chinese characters are readable
- Check data integrity
Download Fixed File: Get your repaired CSV
- Choose output encoding (UTF-8 with BOM for Excel)
- Original file structure preserved
- Ready to open in any application

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Excel Shows "???" Instead of Chinese

Problem: You open a CSV file in Excel and see "???" or boxes instead of Chinese characters.

Solution: Upload the file, convert to UTF-8 with BOM, and download. Excel will now display Chinese correctly.

Scenario 2: Database Export with Wrong Encoding

Problem: CSV exported from MySQL/PostgreSQL shows garbled Chinese in Excel.

Solution: The tool detects the database encoding and converts to Excel-compatible format.

Scenario 3: Cross-Platform Data Transfer

Problem: CSV created on Mac/Linux shows garbled text on Windows Excel.

Solution: Convert to GBK or UTF-8 with BOM for Windows compatibility.

Scenario 4: Web Application Export

Problem: Downloaded CSV from web app has encoding issues.

Solution: Upload and convert to your preferred encoding format.

Encoding Guide

Encoding	Best For	Notes
UTF-8 with BOM	Excel (Windows)	Recommended for Excel compatibility
UTF-8	Mac, Linux, Web	Universal standard
GBK	Chinese Windows	Simplified Chinese
Big5	Traditional Chinese	Taiwan, Hong Kong
GB2312	Legacy systems	Older Chinese encoding

Frequently Asked Questions

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