How Can I Fix a UnicodeDecodeError When Reading a CSV File in Pandas?

UnicodeDecodeError When Reading CSV File in Pandas

When processing large numbers of similar files, encountering a UnicodeDecodeError can be frustrating. This particular error, originating from Pandas' read_csv method, indicates an inability to decode a byte within the file using UTF-8 encoding.

To resolve this issue, Pandas provides the encoding option, allowing you to specify the encoding format of the file. Commonly used encodings include:

• UTF-8: encoding="utf-8"
• ISO-8859-1: encoding="ISO-8859-1" (equivalent to "latin" or "cp1252")

For the majority of files, using UTF-8 encoding will suffice.

Code Example:

import pandas as pd

filepath = 'filepath.csv'
data = pd.read_csv(filepath, encoding="utf-8")

If detecting the file's encoding is necessary, consider using tools like enca, file -i (Linux), or file -I (macOS). The encoding can then be specified accordingly.

By utilizing the encoding option, you can ensure proper decoding of CSV files and prevent unexpected errors from interrupting your data import process.

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