CSV file download issues

If your CSV file appears jumbled or all the data is in one column when you open it on your device (Windows or Mac), it's usually due to a mismatch between the separator used in the file (e.g., comma , or semicolon ;) and what the spreadsheet program expects.

You may also have data containing special characters and the data may not display properly in Excel.

Here's how to fix both problems:

• Incorrect Column Separation
• Issue with special characters

Incorrect Column Separation

 Please follow the steps below, depending on your operating system to adjust your settings and then re-download the file. If at first it doesn’t work, please try rebooting your computer and try again.

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Windows 8 and Windows 10 Users

Windows 11 Users

MacOS Users

Windows 8 and Windows 10 Users

1. Close the Excel file
2. Windows 8 > go to Control Panel and select Regional and Language Options.
   Windows 10 > go to Control Panel, then Clock and Region and finally select Region.
3. Click Additional Settings.
   
4. Change the ‘Decimal Symbol’ to a full stop ( . ).
5. Change the ‘List Separator’ to a comma ( , ).
   
6. Click 'Apply', then 'OK'.

Windows 11 Users

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Time & language.
3. Click the Language & region page on the right side.
4. Under the "Related settings" section, click the Administrative language settings option.
5. Click the Formats tab.

6. Click the Additional settings button.

    

   

    

7. Click the Numbers tab.
8. Change the ‘Decimal Symbol’ to a full stop ( . ).

9. Change the ‘List Separator’ to a comma ( , ).

    

   

    

MacOS Users

macOS does not have a universal system setting to define the default delimiter for CSV files. However, it uses your system region and language settings to influence which delimiter is expected by apps like Excel, Numbers, and even some imports in Safari or Mail.

Here’s how to change macOS's regional format to influence default CSV delimiter behavior:

Change macOS Default Delimiter via Region Settings

Most spreadsheet apps (like Excel or Numbers) assume:

• Comma (,) is used in English (US) and similar locales.
• Semicolon (;) is used in many European locales where comma is a decimal separator.

To switch to comma delimiter (standard in US-style CSVs):

1. Go to System Settings > General > Language & Region.
2. Click "Region" and select United States (or any English-speaking country that uses , as a separator).
3. Restart your Mac or at least the app (Excel, Numbers, etc.) you're using.

Now CSVs opened in Excel or Numbers should default to using comma (,) as the delimiter.

Bonus: Check Decimal & Thousands Separators (Optional)

1. In Language & Region, scroll down and click Advanced… (may be called “Customize” depending on your macOS version).
2. Look at:
   • Decimal: Should be .
   • Thousands: Should be ,
3. These influence whether apps use comma or semicolon as the CSV delimiter.

Why This Matters:

If your system is set to a region like Germany, France, or Italy, Numbers and Excel often expect semicolons (;) as delimiters, because comma is used for decimals.

Issue with Special Characters

Microsoft Excel is unable to properly display UTF-8 compliant CSV files when they contain special characters. As a result your file may include ‘?’ or random symbols instead of non-English characters like:é, è, ç etc.

As a result it’s always recommended to import such files into Excel instead of opening them directly.

To do so you can follow the steps below: 

1. Open Excel

2. Click the 'Data' menu

3. Click on 'From Text/CSV"

4. Find the file you want to import. Click on file > Import

5. Choose "65001: Unicode(UTF-8) in the top File Origin dropdown

6. Click 'Load'