How to fix Excel CSV file imports

Sometimes, Excel will not recognize a CSV file for what it is.  Instead of breaking the delimited fields up into separate cells, it will consider each line as  a line of text and list the entire line in a single cell.

The problem is typically caused by a mismatch between Windows and Excel Regional Settings.


To fix this permanently, follow these steps:

Windows 8+
Windows Regional Settings
List “,”
Decimal “.”

Excel
File > Options
Advanced
Decimal “.”
Thousand Seperator “,”

Dynamic is preconfigured to use a CSV “,”.  Please see the config menu.


If you are in a rush and just need a once-off quick fix, try this:

Once off

Click the “A” Column header. Click “Data”. Click “Text to Columns”. Select Delimited, select delimiter.


Enjoy your spreadsheet.

-Dynamic