Data Import & Export

Fix CSV Export Multiple Values in One Excel Cell with Rectangles

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to fix an issue where exporting data to a CSV file causes multiple values to merge into a single Excel cell, separated by rectangle symbols instead of standard delimiters.

Product: CSV/Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Exporting data to a CSV format and opening it in a spreadsheet application.
Observed behavior: Multiple services or data points appear combined in one cell, with rectangle characters representing hidden or unsupported line-break characters.

Before you start

Before starting, widen the formula bar in your spreadsheet software to verify if the text drops to a new line where the rectangle characters appear, which confirms they are unrecognized line breaks.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Find and Replace to Swap Line Breaks for Commas

Replace the hidden line-break characters with a standard delimiter like a comma or space so the data reads naturally.

The rectangle character is typically an unsupported carriage return or line feed. By using a keyboard shortcut in the Find and Replace menu, you can identify and swap these out.

Select the affected data

Highlight the column or specific cells containing the combined values and rectangle characters.

Open Find and Replace

Press Ctrl + H on your keyboard to open the Find and Replace dialog box.

Enter the line break character

Click into the 'Find what' field and press Ctrl + J. The box will appear empty or show a blinking dot, which represents the line break.

Replace with a standard delimiter

Click into the 'Replace with' field and type a comma followed by a space.

Execute the replacement

Click the 'Replace All' button to remove the rectangles and separate the values properly.

Data Cleansed: Your data should now appear as a continuous string in a single cell, separated by commas. You can now use Text to Columns if you need them in separate cells.

Solution 2

Split Data Using Text to Columns

Use the Text to Columns feature to directly separate the clumped data into individual columns based on the hidden line break character.

Manage CSV Files Efficiently

Easily Handle Complex CSV Exports with WPS Spreadsheet

WPS Spreadsheet provides robust data processing tools, including advanced Text to Columns and precise Find & Replace functions, making it effortless to clean up messy CSV exports and manage unsupported line breaks.

1. Open your CSV: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open your downloaded CSV file.
2. Select the data: Highlight the column containing the rectangle characters.
3. Access Text to Columns: Go to the Data tab on the ribbon and click Text to Columns.
4. Apply custom delimiter: Select Delimited, check 'Other', and press Ctrl+J to specify the line break delimiter.
5. Complete the process: Click Finish to perfectly organize your clumped data into distinct columns.

Advanced Text to Columns feature for precise data splittingFully compatible with Microsoft Excel formats (.xlsx, .xls, .csv)Lightweight, fast, and runs smoothly on all devices

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do line breaks show up as rectangles in Excel?

Spreadsheet software displays a hollow rectangle when it encounters unrecognized or non-printable characters. This often happens with CSV files generated on different operating systems (like Linux or Mac) that use different line break encoding (LF or CR) than Windows (CRLF).

Can I use Power Query to clean up these CSV files?

Yes. You can import the CSV data into Power Query, use the 'Replace Values' feature to swap special characters (such as #(lf) for line feeds) with commas, and then split the column based on that new delimiter.

How do I identify the exact character code of the rectangle?

You can determine the character code using the CODE() function. For example, if the text is in A1 and the rectangle is the 5th character, enter =CODE(MID(A1,5,1)) in an adjacent cell. This will return its ASCII value, such as 10 for a line feed or 13 for a carriage return.

Excel & Data Problems