How to Convert CSV to XLS in UTF-8

Microsoft Excel can open a Comma Separated Value (CSV) file and save the file in the Excel Spreadsheet (XLS) file format. However, there is a known issue with UTF-8 text data when importing CSV files into Excel. If you simply open the CSV file with Excel, non-standard UTF-8 characters will either disappear or will display incorrectly. There is a way, however, to import the CSV file into Excel, and convert the file to the XLS format with UTF-8 text data intact. The trick is to import the CSV file as text data.

Things You'll Need

• Microsoft Excel installed
• CSV file

Instructions

1. Open Microsoft Excel. The program opens with a new spreadsheet displayed.

2. Click the “Data” option on the top navigation bar. The Data dialog box opens.

3. Click the “From Text” option, then click the “Browse” button. The file navigation window opens.

4. Navigate to and click on the “CSV” file to import.

5. Check the checkbox next to the “Delimited” option and click “Next.”

6. Check the checkbox in front of the delimiter for your CSV file. For example, check the checkbox next to the “Comma” option if your data values are separated by a comma, such as in the comma separated value (CSV) file.

7. Click “Next,” then click “Finish.” The UTF-8 data displays correctly in the spreadsheet.

8. Click the “File” option and click “Save As.”

9. Click the “Save as Type” drop-down box, then click the “Microsoft Excel 97-2003 (*.xls)” option.

10. Type a name for the new XLS file into the “File Name” input box and click “Save.” The CSV file is converted to XLS, and the UTF-8 data is preserved.