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How to open .CSV files on Mac

To open .CSV files on Mac, control-click the .CSV file and select 'Open With'.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Control-click the .CSV file and select 'Open With'.
  2. Choose Numbers or a compatible spreadsheet app.

Common issues

File opens with incorrect formatting

The .CSV file may not display correctly if the delimiter used in the file does not match the expected delimiter in the application.

  1. Check the delimiter used in the .CSV file (commas, semicolons, etc.).
  2. Configure the application to use the correct delimiter when opening the file.

Special characters not displaying correctly

Non-standard characters may not render properly if the file's encoding is not supported by the application.

  1. Ensure the file is saved with UTF-8 encoding.
  2. Open the file in a text editor and re-save it with the correct encoding if necessary.

Umlauts look like "ü" or "ö" when the CSV is opened in Excel

The file is UTF-8, but Excel assumes a legacy encoding when the file has no byte order mark.

  1. In Excel use Data → From Text/CSV and choose "65001: Unicode (UTF-8)" as the file origin.
  2. Or save the file as "CSV UTF-8" in the program that created it.
  3. Open it in LibreOffice Calc, which asks for the character set when opening.

All CSV data ends up in one column

The file uses a different separator than your regional settings expect, for example a semicolon instead of a comma.

  1. In Excel use Data → From Text/CSV and pick the right delimiter.
  2. Or select the column and use Data → Text to Columns.
  3. In LibreOffice Calc the import dialog lets you choose comma, semicolon or tab.

Still can’t open your .CSV file?

Recover a deleted or lost .CSV file

If the file was deleted by mistake or the drive was formatted, data recovery software may be able to get it back. Stop writing to that drive right away, because new data can overwrite what you want to recover.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery

Windows software that recovers deleted or lost files from PCs and external drives such as HDDs, SSDs, USB drives and memory cards, after deletion, formatting or a crash.

Wondershare Recoverit

Windows and Mac software that recovers deleted or lost files from computers and external drives such as HDDs, SSDs, USB drives and SD cards.

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Security note

Open .CSV files only from trusted sources to avoid malicious data.

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