What This Tool Fixes
UTF-8 BOM (EF BB BF) removal
Invalid UTF-8 byte sequences
Null bytes (0x00) within cell values
Replacement character (U+FFFD) artifacts
Mis-encoded special characters
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a UTF-8 BOM and should I remove it?
A BOM (Byte Order Mark) is a hidden marker at the start of some UTF-8 files — often added by Excel on Windows. Many database tools reject files with BOMs. Structra removes it automatically.
Why does my CSV have a question mark or black diamond at the start?
This is a BOM character rendered visibly by some text editors. Structra strips it during the cleaning process without affecting your data.