CSV Import Errors

Import problems come in two shapes: the file is rejected outright, or it imports but produces fewer items than expected. The second is more common and easier to miss.

Always Start with the Sample

Download the Sample CSV from the editor for the format you’re importing into. It shows the exact headers and working example rows.

Most import problems are a mismatch between your file and what that format expects. Comparing against the sample resolves them faster than any other step.

Fewer Items Than Expected

This is the most common problem, and it’s silent. Import is tolerant: rows that don’t meet requirements are skipped, and the rest import normally.

Count your items after importing. If you imported 20 rows and see 17, three were skipped.

Reasons a row is skipped:

• A required field is empty
• The row is blank
• The content violates a format constraint

For Word Search specifically: words are stripped to letters only, must be at least 2 letters, and no more than 15 — the grid width. “Right of Way” becomes RIGHTOFWAY and imports fine; a 17-letter term is dropped.

The File Is Rejected

Wrong File Type

Export as CSV, not .xlsx, .numbers, or tab-delimited. In Excel and Google Sheets: File → Download / Save As → CSV.

Renaming a .xlsx file to .csv does not convert it and will fail.

Missing or Renamed Header

The first row must contain the expected column headers. Renaming columns, reordering them, or deleting the header row causes rejection.

Copy the header row from the sample exactly.

Not Enough Content

Word Search requires at least five usable words, because a round can’t be built with fewer. If fewer than five survive validation, the whole import fails rather than importing a broken game.

If you get this error, the problem is usually that more words were rejected than you realised — check lengths.

Content Looks Wrong After Import

Commas Inside a Field

A cell containing a comma must be wrapped in double quotes. Spreadsheet software does this automatically on export — it’s only an issue if you hand-wrote the file in a text editor.

Symptom: content splitting into the wrong columns.

Smart Quotes and Special Characters

Text pasted from Word or Google Docs can carry curly quotes, em dashes, and non-breaking spaces. These usually import fine but occasionally display oddly.

If a specific item looks wrong, retype its text directly in the editor.

Encoding

If accented characters appear as garbage, save the CSV as UTF-8. Most tools do this by default; Excel on Windows sometimes doesn’t — look for “CSV UTF-8” in the save dialog.

It Imported But Nothing Saved

Import populates the editor; it does not save. You must click Save afterward.

If you imported, navigated away, and came back to an empty game, this is why. Nothing was wrong with the file.

Import Replaced Content I Wanted to Keep

Import replaces all existing content in that game — it doesn’t merge or append.

There’s no undo. If you had hand-edits that mattered, they’re gone.

Going forward: keep the spreadsheet as your source of truth and re-import when it changes, rather than editing in two places.

Still Failing

Contact support with:

• Which format you’re importing into
• The exact error message
• How many rows the file has versus how many imported
• Ideally, the file itself

Next Steps

• CSV Import Guide — how import works
• Manual Question Entry — the alternative