How to format list tags in a CSV file for import

Spreadsheet programs like Excel often change the way quotes look when you save a file as a CSV. This can cause your list of tags to upload as one long text string instead of separate items. To make sure your tags import correctly, use one of the following methods.

Use a spreadsheet editor

Write your list in the cell using brackets and quotes. For example: ["news", "sports", "politics"]. When you save this as a CSV, the program will likely add its own set of quotes around the data. To check if the file is correct, open the CSV in a plain text editor like Notepad or TextEdit. The line should look like this:

"[""news"", ""sports"", ""politics""]"

Fix formatting in a text editor

If your spreadsheet program adds too many quotes or incorrect characters, you can fix the file manually before you upload it.

1. Save your spreadsheet as a CSV.
2. Open that CSV file in a plain text editor.
3. Use find and replace to remove extra quotes.
4. Make sure the final text matches this exact pattern: "[""tag1"", ""tag2""]".
5. Save the file in the text editor and upload it.

Try uploading a test file with only one or two rows first. This confirms the formatting works before you import a large list.