Fix corrupted accented names in a purchase-order CSV

A supplier’s name looks like José instead of José, or accented characters have turned into question marks. That can make a purchase-order check harder, especially when you need to match names to an approved supplier record.

First find out whether the file was read with the wrong character encoding or whether the data was already damaged before export. The CSV Editor can help you find and correct cells in the file, but check the intended spelling against a trusted source before changing anything.

Check the purchase-order CSV

1. Make a copy of the original CSV before editing. Open the copy in the CSV Editor, which runs in your browser and can find and edit CSV data.
2. Find a name that looks wrong, then note its row and the related supplier ID, purchase-order number, or other reference. Check whether the rest of the row is lined up under the correct columns.
3. Compare the name with a reliable record, such as the supplier master list or the purchase order in the system that created the export. Do not use a guess based only on how the garbled text looks.
4. If you have confirmed the spelling, correct only the affected cell or cells. Save or download the edited copy, then reopen it and check the corrected names and nearby fields before using it for approval.

If the file has many affected names or the whole column looks corrupted, pause before making repeated manual edits. The safer fix is usually to correct how the CSV is exported or imported, then check the fresh file. For more on identifying an encoding problem, see how to check a CSV file's encoding before import.

What the result means

Letters have turned into extra characters

A name such as José appearing as José often means text written in UTF-8 was interpreted using a different encoding, such as Windows-1252. The original name may still be intact in the source data. Re-exporting the file and importing it with the matching encoding is usually safer than editing every affected name by hand.

Accented letters appear as replacement symbols

A black diamond with a question mark, a plain question mark, or the replacement character � can mean the data was lost or replaced when the file was saved. A later encoding change cannot reliably reconstruct the missing character. Get a new export from the original purchase-order system or verify the spelling from an authoritative supplier record.

Only a few names look wrong

The problem may be limited to a particular record, an older import, or a name entered with a different spelling. Compare each affected cell with the supplier record and correct it only when the intended spelling is clear. Keep a note of the change if the CSV is part of an audit or approval process.

Text appears under the wrong columns

That is more likely a delimiter or quoting problem than an accent encoding issue. A comma inside a quoted supplier name or address should stay within that field. Do not approve the file until the columns line up correctly, because order numbers, quantities, and prices may also have shifted.

How to fix the source of the problem

1. Ask for a fresh export. If you can access the purchase-order system, export the file again and look for a character encoding option. Choose UTF-8 when available. If someone else supplied the file, ask them to export it as UTF-8 rather than sending another copy of the already garbled CSV.
2. Import the CSV instead of opening it by double-clicking. Spreadsheet programs may guess the encoding when they open a CSV directly. In Excel on Windows 11, use Data › From Text/CSV, choose the file, and select UTF-8 as the file origin if the import dialog offers it. On macOS, use the spreadsheet app's CSV import options and choose UTF-8 if available. The exact labels depend on the app and version.
3. Keep the original fields together. During import, check the; preview a row that includes an accented name. Confirm the name stays in one cell; the purchase-order number, quantity,; amount remain in their own columns before you load or save the data.
4. Correct only verified names. If you must edit the CSV directly, use the CSV Editor to find the affected entries; compare them with the trusted supplier record. Do not replace every accented character in bulk, because different names may need different letters; spellings.
5. Check order references after saving. Compare the edited file with the original or purchase-order system. Check the row count; a sample of order numbers, quantities,; totals. If the file contains IDs with leading zeros, make sure they remain unchanged. See why leading zeros disappear from CSV data if an identifier changes during a spreadsheet import.
6. Request help when the source is damaged. If the original system also shows replacement symbols, or you cannot confirm a supplier's spelling, do not silently substitute a likely name. Ask the person who created the export or the supplier contact to confirm the data before the purchase order is approved.

Keep the corrected file trustworthy

Save the original unchanged and label the corrected copy clearly, so you can tell which file came from the source system and which one you edited. For purchase-order checks, preserve the supplier ID and order reference alongside the corrected name. A correct spelling is useful, but it should not be the only evidence that a row belongs to the right supplier.

The CSV Editor works in your browser. The purchase-order file you open stays on your device.