CSV Formatting Checker for Shopify
Shopify asks for a UTF-8, comma-separated CSV. Files saved from Excel — especially with European regional settings — often aren't. The formatting checker looks at how the file is written rather than what's in it: encoding, separators, header position, line endings, true/false values, hidden characters and formula-like content.
Free · No signup · Runs in your browser — your file is never uploaded.
Drop your product CSV or Excel file here
.csv, .tsv, .txt or .xlsx · up to 15 MB · 50,000 rows
Your file is processed in your browser. It is never uploaded to our servers.
No file handy? Try an example:
How to use the csv formatting checker for shopify
- Drop the CSV or Excel file.
- See the file's detected encoding, separator and header row at the top.
- Review formatting problems; the repair tool converts all of them to Shopify's format.
What it checks
- Encoding: UTF-8 vs Windows-1252 or UTF-16, garbled characters like “Café”, invisible control characters.
- Separators & layout: Semicolon, tab or pipe separators, a title row above the header, blank header names.
- Values: Yes/No instead of true/false, “Active” instead of active, tags separated by semicolons, extra spaces.
- Safety: Cells starting with =, +, - or @ that a spreadsheet could run as a formula (CSV injection).
Example
A UTF-8 file that was opened and re-saved with the wrong encoding:
| Row | Title | Published on online store |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Café Table Runner | Yes |
“Café” is UTF-8 text decoded as Windows-1252; the original “Café” can be recovered. “Yes” must be true for Shopify.
Questions
How do I save a CSV as UTF-8 in Excel?
Use File → Save As and choose “CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited)”. If your Excel uses semicolons because of regional settings, CatalogPilot's repair tool will convert the separators for you.
What is CSV injection?
A cell starting with = (or +, -, @) can be run as a formula when the CSV is opened in a spreadsheet app. Product data almost never needs that, so CatalogPilot flags it and can neutralise it.
Does line ending format matter?
Shopify recommends LF line endings. Windows files usually use CRLF; the corrected file always uses LF.