Fix error “invalid byte sequence in UTF-8”

Learn how to fix “invalid byte sequence in UTF-8” when you import a CSV file in QuickBooks Commerce.

If your CSV file has non-English or special characters, you can encode your file in the UTF-8 format so QuickBooks Commerce can easily read its content. Here’s how.

Microsoft Excel 2016 for Windows and Mac

1. Open your CSV file Excel document.
2. Go to the File menu.
3. Select Save As.
4. From the File format ▼ dropdown, select CSV UTF-8 (Comma Delimited) (*.CSV).
5. Save your file, then upload it to QuickBooks Commerce.

Google Sheets

1. Open your CSV file in Google Sheets.
2. Go to the File menu.
3. Select Download.
4. Select Comma-separated values (.csv, current sheet).
5. Save your file, then upload it to QuickBooks Commerce.

Notepad++

1. Create the file as an Excel workbook. Make sure the first entry contains a special character.
2. Save the file as Unicode Text. 
3. Download and open Notepad++.
4. Open the file in Notepad++.
5. Replace the tabs with commas.
6. Select Encoding, then change it to UTF-8. 
7. Save the file as an All Types file and add “.csv” at the end of the file name.
   Note: Make sure not to open the file in Excel.
8. Upload the file to QuickBooks Commerce.

Do you use a different app? Contact us so we can help you create a CSV file.