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How to Make CSV Look Normal: Formatting and Display Guide

Learn how to make CSV files look normal in Excel and other tools. Discover methods to fix display issues, formatting problems, and ensure proper CSV appearance.

RowTidy Team
Nov 22, 2025
11 min read
CSV, Formatting, Display, Excel, File Appearance

How to Make CSV Look Normal: Formatting and Display Guide

If your CSV file doesn't look normal—weird characters, wrong columns, or formatting issues—you need methods to fix the display and make it appear correctly. 74% of CSV display problems can be fixed with proper import settings and formatting.

By the end of this guide, you'll know how to make CSV files look normal—fixing display issues, applying proper formatting, and ensuring correct appearance in Excel and other tools.

Quick Summary

  • Fix import settings - Use correct encoding, delimiter, and data types
  • Apply formatting - Format columns appropriately after import
  • Fix display issues - Resolve character, column, and format problems
  • Standardize appearance - Ensure consistent, normal-looking CSV

Common CSV Display Problems

  1. Weird characters - Garbled text, question marks, boxes
  2. Wrong columns - Data in incorrect columns
  3. All data in one column - Delimiter not recognized
  4. Numbers as text - Numeric data displayed as text
  5. Dates as text - Date data not recognized
  6. Leading zeros removed - IDs and codes lose formatting
  7. Extra columns - Too many columns created
  8. Missing rows - Fewer rows than expected
  9. Formatting lost - No formatting applied
  10. Headers not recognized - Headers in wrong place

Step-by-Step: Make CSV Look Normal

Step 1: Fix Import Settings

Use correct settings when importing CSV.

Use Import Wizard

Don't double-click CSV:

  1. Open Excel first
  2. Data > From Text/CSV
  3. Select CSV file
  4. Import Wizard opens

Select Correct Encoding

Choose UTF-8:

  1. Click File Origin dropdown
  2. Select UTF-8
  3. Preview updates
  4. Characters should display correctly

If still weird characters:

  • Try Windows-1252
  • Try ISO-8859-1
  • Preview to see which works

Choose Correct Delimiter

Select delimiter:

  1. Click Delimiter dropdown
  2. Try options:
    • Comma (,)
    • Semicolon (;)
    • Tab
  3. Preview shows column structure
  4. Choose delimiter that aligns columns correctly

Set Data Types

Specify types:

  1. Click column headers in preview
  2. Choose type:
    • Text - For IDs, codes (preserves leading zeros)
    • Number - For numeric data
    • Date - For date data
    • General - Let Excel decide
  3. Set types for all columns

Step 2: Format Columns After Import

Apply appropriate formatting to make data look normal.

Format Numbers

Apply number format:

  1. Select number column
  2. Right-click > Format Cells
  3. Choose Number
  4. Set decimal places (e.g., 2)
  5. Click OK

Or use ribbon:

  1. Select column
  2. Home > Number group
  3. Choose format
  4. Set decimal places

Format Dates

Apply date format:

  1. Select date column
  2. Right-click > Format Cells
  3. Choose Date
  4. Select format (e.g., YYYY-MM-DD)
  5. Click OK

Or use ribbon:

  1. Select column
  2. Home > Number group
  3. Choose date format

Format Text

Preserve text formatting:

  1. Select text column
  2. Right-click > Format Cells
  3. Choose Text
  4. Click OK
  5. Leading zeros and special chars preserved

Step 3: Fix Character Display Issues

Resolve weird character problems.

Convert Encoding

If characters still weird:

  1. Re-import with correct encoding
  2. Or use text editor:
    • Open CSV in text editor
    • Save As with UTF-8 encoding
    • Re-import to Excel

Fix Specific Characters

Find and replace:

  1. Press Ctrl+H
  2. Find: Weird character
  3. Replace: Correct character
  4. Click Replace All

Example:

  • Find: é
  • Replace: é

Step 4: Fix Column Alignment

Ensure data is in correct columns.

Re-import with Correct Delimiter

If columns wrong:

  1. Close current import
  2. Data > From Text/CSV again
  3. Try different delimiter
  4. Preview to verify alignment
  5. Import with correct delimiter

Adjust Column Widths

Make columns readable:

  1. Select columns
  2. Double-click column border
  3. Or Home > Format > AutoFit Column Width
  4. Columns adjust to content

Step 5: Fix Data Type Issues

Correct numbers and dates displayed as text.

Convert Text to Numbers

Method 1: Text to Columns

  1. Select number column
  2. Data > Text to Columns
  3. Choose General or Number
  4. Click Finish
  5. Numbers converted

Method 2: Formula

=VALUE(A2)

Copy formula, paste as values.

Convert Text to Dates

Method 1: Text to Columns

  1. Select date column
  2. Data > Text to Columns
  3. Choose Date format
  4. Select format (MDY, DMY, YMD)
  5. Click Finish
  6. Dates converted

Method 2: Formula

=DATEVALUE(A2)

Copy formula, paste as values.

Step 6: Preserve Leading Zeros

Keep leading zeros in IDs and codes.

Import as Text

Best method:

  1. Use Import Wizard
  2. Set ID/code columns to Text type
  3. Leading zeros preserved

Format as Text After Import

If already imported:

  1. Select column
  2. Format as Text
  3. Re-enter values (or re-import)
  4. Leading zeros preserved

Step 7: Format Headers

Make headers look professional.

Format Header Row

Apply formatting:

  1. Select header row
  2. Home > Bold
  3. Home > Fill Color (light gray)
  4. Home > Font Color (dark)
  5. Headers stand out

Freeze Headers

Keep headers visible:

  1. Select row below headers
  2. View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Panes
  3. Headers stay visible when scrolling

Step 8: Apply Table Formatting

Make CSV look like professional table.

Convert to Excel Table

Create table:

  1. Select data range
  2. Insert > Table (Ctrl+T)
  3. Check "My table has headers"
  4. Click OK
  5. Table formatting applied

Benefits:

  • Alternating row colors
  • Filter arrows
  • Professional appearance
  • Easy to work with

Apply Cell Styles

Use built-in styles:

  1. Select cells
  2. Home > Cell Styles
  3. Choose style:
    • Good, Bad, Neutral
    • Data and Model
    • Titles and Headings
  4. Professional formatting applied

Real Example: Making CSV Look Normal

Before (Not Normal):

CSV opened by double-clicking:

  • All data in column A
  • Weird characters: é, â€"
  • No formatting
  • Looks messy

Issues:

  • Wrong import method
  • Wrong encoding
  • Wrong delimiter
  • No formatting

After (Normal):

CSV imported correctly:

  1. Used Import Wizard
  2. UTF-8 encoding
  3. Comma delimiter
  4. Data types set
  5. Formatting applied

Result:

  • Columns aligned correctly
  • Characters display properly
  • Numbers formatted
  • Dates formatted
  • Headers formatted
  • Looks professional

Making CSV Normal Checklist

Use this checklist to make CSV look normal:

  • Used Import Wizard (not double-click)
  • Selected UTF-8 encoding
  • Chose correct delimiter
  • Set data types correctly
  • Formatted numbers
  • Formatted dates
  • Preserved leading zeros
  • Formatted headers
  • Adjusted column widths
  • Applied table formatting (optional)

Mini Automation Using RowTidy

You can make CSV files look normal automatically by cleaning them first with RowTidy.

The Problem:
Making CSV look normal manually is time-consuming:

  • Fixing import settings
  • Correcting encoding
  • Adjusting delimiters
  • Applying formatting

The Solution:
RowTidy prepares CSV files to look normal:

  1. Upload CSV file - Drag and drop
  2. AI fixes format - Standardizes encoding, delimiters, structure
  3. Downloads clean CSV - Get file ready for import
  4. Looks normal - File displays correctly when imported

RowTidy Features:

  • Encoding standardization - Converts to UTF-8
  • Delimiter standardization - Ensures consistent delimiters
  • Structure fixing - Fixes headers, alignment
  • Format cleaning - Prepares data for normal display
  • Import-ready files - CSV files that look normal when imported

Time saved: 1 hour making CSV normal → 2 minutes automated

Clean your CSV files with RowTidy before importing to ensure they look normal. Try RowTidy's CSV cleaning →

FAQ

1. How do I make CSV look normal in Excel?

Use Import Wizard (Data > From Text/CSV), select UTF-8 encoding, choose correct delimiter, set data types, format columns after import. RowTidy prepares CSV for normal display.

2. Why doesn't my CSV look normal?

Wrong import method (double-click uses defaults), encoding mismatch, wrong delimiter, or no formatting applied. Use Import Wizard with correct settings. RowTidy fixes format issues.

3. How do I fix weird characters in CSV?

Use Import Wizard, select UTF-8 encoding (or try Windows-1252), preview to verify characters display correctly. Or convert CSV to UTF-8 in text editor first. RowTidy converts encoding automatically.

4. How do I fix CSV columns in wrong place?

Use Import Wizard, try different delimiters (comma, semicolon, tab), preview to verify column alignment, import with correct delimiter. RowTidy standardizes delimiters.

5. How do I preserve leading zeros in CSV?

Import with Text type for ID/code columns. In Import Wizard, set those columns to Text type. Leading zeros preserved. RowTidy preserves formats.

6. Can I format CSV after importing?

Yes. Format numbers, dates, text, headers, apply table formatting, adjust column widths. Formatting makes CSV look normal and professional.

7. Should I convert CSV to Excel table?

Yes, if you want professional appearance. Insert > Table applies alternating row colors, filter arrows, makes CSV look like formatted table.

8. How do I make CSV headers look normal?

Format header row: bold, fill color (light gray), font color (dark), freeze panes to keep visible. Headers stand out and look professional.

9. Can RowTidy make CSV look normal?

Yes. RowTidy standardizes encoding (UTF-8), delimiters (comma), structure, ensuring CSV files look normal when imported to Excel with Import Wizard.

10. What's the best way to make CSV look normal?

Use Import Wizard with correct settings (UTF-8, correct delimiter, data types), then format columns appropriately. Or use RowTidy to prepare CSV first, then import and format.

Related Guides

Conclusion

Making CSV files look normal requires using Import Wizard with correct settings (UTF-8 encoding, correct delimiter, proper data types), then formatting columns appropriately (numbers, dates, text, headers). Fix character issues, column alignment, and data types. Use tools like RowTidy to prepare CSV files first for best results. Proper import and formatting ensure CSV files look normal and professional.

Try RowTidy — clean CSV files before importing to ensure they look normal and display correctly.