Why won't a CSV file import correctly?

There may be times when a CSV file won't import, or won't import completely through the Formidable > Import/Export page. This could be for a variety of reasons. In our experience, the following steps tend to be the most effective at narrowing down exactly what it is that's keeping the import process from succeeding.

1. Disable any custom code, switch to the default WordPress theme, and deactivate all other plugins. Each theme and plugin makes modifications to the way WordPress works, and sometimes these modifications introduce conflicts.
2. Make sure CSV files can be added to your WordPress site by uploading a CSV file directly to the WordPress Dashboard in the Media section.
3. Check the format of your CSV:
   • Make sure the values are surrounded by quotes.
   • Values should be separated with commas (as shown here).
   • Each row in the CSV should be separated with a line break.
   • 'UTF-8' is the recommended encoding.
   • There are several CSV formats. Make sure that yours is saved as a 'Windows Comma Separated' CSV.
4. Check with your host to see which version of PHP you are running. If you are running a version prior to 5.4, please ask your host to update your PHP version to 5.4 or later.
5. Try splitting your CSV file up into smaller chunks. Especially when dealing with larger files, timeouts become an issue in certain cases. Though Formidable's import protocols are very forgiving, our software is not the only system at play when moving data. Your site may be able to successfully import smaller CSV files individually.
6. You can also manually change some of your PHP settings, and also a few WordPress settings. The following settings can have an affect on the CSV import:
   • Memory limit, including WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT
   • max_execution_time

   If you are unfamiliar with modifying these types of settings, please contact your webhost for assistance.

7. (Temporary Workaround) If you are running WordPress 5.0, there is currently a bug that prevents a CSV from being uploaded. As a temporary solution, you can add this row to wp-config.php file, and remove it after the WP bug is fixed:

   define( 'ALLOW_UNFILTERED_UPLOADS', true );

8. Download the Disable Real Mime Check plugin to fix this issue.