Open a garbled CSV with the right text encoding on Mac

What this guide fixes

Unreadable symbols or broken characters usually mean the file encoding and import setting do not match. DataCello lets you check UTF-8, Shift JIS, UTF-16, and ISO Latin 1 in the import preview before loading the file.

You only need a CSV stored on your Mac. This workflow is available without Pro.

Check a different encoding

1. Use Import CSV in the DataCello toolbar, choose the CSV, and open the import preview.
2. In the right Inspector, open Import Settings and change Encoding from the current setting. For a CSV exported by a Japanese business system, check Shift JIS early.
3. Inspect both the headers and several text values in the preview.
4. If columns are still displaced, check Delimiter in the same settings section.
5. Click Apply and Refresh after the preview is readable and aligned.

Verify the imported dataset

Check several rows in the table, then review row count, column count, and inferred types in the overview. A correct encoding does not fix a mismatched quote, escape, or delimiter setting.

If none of the supported encodings work, the source may be damaged or saved in an encoding DataCello does not support. Changing the import option does not repair the source file.

Current scope

• Supported choices are UTF-8, Shift JIS, UTF-16, and ISO Latin 1.
• Delimiter, quote, escape, and missing-value markers are separate options.
• Import options do not rewrite the original CSV.