How do I fix the UTF-8 error when I bulk upload users?

This error occurs when your uploaded file isn't in UTF-8 format. UTF-8 is the main character code on the Internet.

Your import file might use another format, such as ISO-8859, instead of UTF-8. Use one of these options to convert your file to UTF-8.

Select the method you use to bulk import users:

If you have a Gmail account or use Google Drive:

  1. Open Google Drive
  2. Create a new Google Sheets document
  3. Import your CSV file
  4. Select File > Download As > Comma-Separated Values to save the file to your computer

The file downloads in UTF-8, and the upload succeeds.

If you use Microsoft Excel:

  1. Open your CSV file in Microsoft Excel, then select File > Save As
  2. Enter a name for the file, and select CSV UTF-8 (comma delimited) (*.csv) as your file format
  3. Select Save

If you use Microsoft Excel and can't save as UTF-8 CSV, and you have Notepad:

  1. Open the .xlsx file in Microsoft Excel, then select File > Save As (Other Formats)
  2. Enter any name for the file, then select Unicode Text (.txt) for Save as type
  3. Select Save
  4. Open the Unicode text file in Microsoft Notepad.
    Some characters may appear as boxes because Notepad can't display some Unicode characters. Ignore these for now.
  5. Replace tabs ā†’ with commas , so the file uses proper comma-separated values (CSV) format
  6. Drag between two column headers to select a tab character, then press Ctrl+C
  7. Use the Replace function to replace all tab characters with commas
  8. In Notepad, select Save As
  9. Enter a filename and change Encoding to UTF-8
  10. Add .csv at the end of the file name to change the extension from .txt to .csv
  11. Select Save.
    The file icon changes to Microsoft Excel.
  12. Open the CSV file in Excel and check the data.
    If you find a problem, don't save in Excel. That can cause the UTF-8 issue again. Only use Excel to check the data. If you see a data problem, fix the original spreadsheet and repeat the steps. You can also edit the file in the Notepad app. Make sure to save the file in UTF-8 format.

You can now use this CSV file to import users.

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