Step 1


To open a CSV file correctly, first open Excel and create a blank workbook.



Step 2


Select “Data“ in the ribbon.



Step 3 


Click on “From Text/CSV“ in the ribbon.



Step 4


Select the file you want to open.



Step 5


In the newly opened window select the file origin and delimiter: in order for all special characters to be displayed correctly and the data be separated, as shown in the pictures below (for a “recipients” file the file origin is “65001: Unicode (UTF-8)” and “Comma” as delimiter).


False file origin & delimeter: 



Correct file origin & delimeter: 



Step 6


Click on “Edit” in the lower right corner of the window.



Step 7 


Now select all, by pressing Ctrl+A, so that the entire table is highlighted green.



Step 8


Change the data type by clicking on “Data Type” and selecting “Text”.




Step 9


If a window pops up, click on “Replace current”.



Step 10


In the final step click on “Close & Load”.