If you see the error "Incorrect CSV format, missing 'Email' header" when uploading a CSV file on a device purchased in the EU, your file is using semicolons instead of commas as separators. You must convert the semicolons before reuploading your file.
Check Your CSV Format First
Before trying the workaround below, verify the file requirements here.
Why This Error Happens
Devices purchased in the EU use semicolons (;) as the default CSV separator instead of commas (,).
Note: If your device wasn't purchased in the EU but you're still getting this error, your CSV file has a different formatting issue. Contact ContactMonkey Support for assistance with troubleshooting.
Fix the Separator Issue
On Windows
- Open the CSV file in the Notepad app
- Press Ctrl + H on your keyboard to open Find and Replace
- In the "Find what" field, enter a semicolon:
; - In the "Replace with" field, enter a comma:
, - Click Replace All
- Click File → Save to save your changes
- Upload the corrected CSV file to ContactMonkey
On Mac
- Open the CSV file in the TextEdit app
- Click Edit → Find → Find and Replace in the top menu
- In the "Find" field, enter a semicolon:
; - In the "Replace" field, enter a comma:
, - Click All, then click Done
- Press Command + S to save your changes
- Upload the corrected CSV file to ContactMonkey
Alternative: Change Your Windows List Separator
This change tells Windows — and Excel — to treat commas as column separators.
- Open Control Panel
- Click Clock and Region, then click Region
- Click Additional settings... at the bottom of the window
- Find the List separator field and change the value to a comma:
, - Click Apply, then OK to close all windows
Note: This setting applies system-wide, not just to Excel. Any application on your device that reads CSV files will now use commas as the separator. You can always reverse this change by following the same steps and setting the value back to a semicolon (;).