Windows 10 Home 22H2 OS: 19045.5487
Does anybody know why for over a year now every time I Export a CSV file with all my Norton Password Managers passwords and then try to upload it into Google Passwords it doesn’t work? It just says unable to read this file. Make sure it’s in the proper format. Well, it asks for a CSV file and Norton states it’s downloading me a CSV file. What gives? This has been happening to me for years now,
The CSV file format needs to match the format required by the importing app. You can open a sample CSV file from the Google Passwords in a spreadsheet program to see the format required. Then do the same for your Norton CSV file and adjust the Norton file to the order use in Google.
Thanks. Well when I go to the Norton Password Manager settings it just states Export a CSV file and it automatically exports and downloads it to my computer. Then I go to Google Passwords and choose Import a CSV file. I then pick the file I just downloaded from Norton to be the file to Import into Google and it states unable to read the file. Are you saying I must find an app to open the downloaded CSV file then somehow get Google to accept it? I’m no rocket scientist.
Every password manager uses its own file format. Almost all support exporting to CSV files. This sounds good at first glance, but CSV files are not specialized password database formats, they only specify a low-level layout of the stored data (for CSV: data fields are separated by commas;. These formats do not specify the high-level arrangement of the data (for CSV: order/meaning of the fields;). Because of this, many users are confused when application #1 exports data to CSV and application #2 cannot read the CSV file.
CSV files can appear different due to variations in how data is delimited (separated), encoding, and how they are opened and interpreted by different software, even though they are all based on the same basic principle of storing data in a comma-separated format.
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Dear bjm, From what I’m seeing is that before I Import into Google the Norton CSV file I should first open that CSV file with something like Excel or Google sheets to have it put in the proper format for my NPM to accept the Imported file. Does that sound right? The only thing is I don’t have too much experience working with Microsoft Excel or Google Spread Sheets. Although when I was healthy I owned and operated a multi million dollar transportation business I would either have my office help use the Excels sent to me by a client or “wing it” by seeing most of the pertinent information needed from an Excel. Would I have to edit the CSV file that I opened with the proper app or does it format the info properly automatically?
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that’s the theory
Caveat:
Bitwarden daily rider
Enpass backup
Bitwarden Exports csv/json
Enpass Imports Bitwarden csv/json
btw ~
Bitwarden Imports Chrome csv
Enpass Imports Chrome csv
I don’t know what Bitwarden is, if it cost money and where to find it.
https://bitwarden.com/
https://bitwarden.com/pricing/
https://www.enpass.io/
https://www.enpass.io/pricing/
Caveat: I run Bitwarden free & Enpass free. I subscribe to Bitwarden $10/y
Yes it’s weird check this out. Another community member suggested to open the Norton PM CSV file in Notepad and correct the format from there. I don’t really know how but gave it a shot. I opened NPM CSV file in Notepad and it starts by showing the following:
Format,Version,Product,Product Version,Exported Date
BB633E3B-1DEC-47FC-9F9A-0301E80FE6C0,2.0,Norton Password Manager (Extension),8.2.2.529,02/16/2025 07:06 PM
Item Type,User Name,Password,Site Name,Login URL,Notes,Secure,Favorite
Whatever that means then I noticed underneath all the info is listed the same e.g.
This is the first one:
login,POPSBARRY,my real password,www.drugs.com,https://www.drugs.com/account/register/,,false,false
ALL 400 say false,false at the end of them. I wonder if that’s why it can’t be read by Google Passwords?
Change the CSV file to a delimited text file, save then import.
SA
Dear SoulAsylum, I was told to open the corrupt Norton Password Manager CSV Exported file with Notepad. Check out it was downloaded properly (which I’m still trying to learn how to do) because when I then Import the NPM CSV file to Google Passwords it states it can’t read the file therefore I can’t move my passwords from NPM to Google Passwords. I followed your directions however but after choosing Save As it only allows me to pick a location to save the same exact Notepad file to. As you know I can only Import a CSV file into Google Passwords. So I’m still lost.
Open the CSV file in Excel then follow instructions to create the delimited text file.
Import or export text (.txt or .csv) files - Microsoft Support>%20Save%20As,or%20CSV%20(Comma%20delimited)
SA
I can’t work with Excel because I don’t pay for it.
you can use Excel for free online through Microsoft 365 for the web.
OKAY: At the top of the Chrome Password CSV file I just downloaded to Excel in the Corner in box 1 up top under rows A,B,C,D, and E it reads the name,URL,username,password,note. The NPM CSV file I just downloaded again at the top has a couple of unneeded lines I believe 1 and 2 with the text of Norton, Version, Date, and unnecessary stuff like that so I deleted those. It now reads in 1 A,B,C,D,E item type,username,password,site name, login URL,notes, secure, favorite which secure and favorite are not in Chrome Passwords Excel file and all the way down secure and favorites has beneath them false,false. So I believe I delete the entire column of secure and the entire column of favorites. Correct? Under item type all the way down it reads login so I’ll delete that whole column. However, if you’re still following me notice that the name, username etc. is switched around differently than the Chrome file’s name, username, etc. Do I have to rearrange all those too? IDK This is all new territory for me. HOWEVER the NPM CSV file doesn’t have “name” at the beginning of all that like Chrome does name meaning Instagram, Facebook, Hulu, Spotify etcetera so maybe after all that work Google Passwords still won’t accept it or Import it because it doesn’t know (besides the URL) what the username and password belong too.
I’d have to give Microsoft my card numbers to bill me after the 30 free days and although I could make a note to self to cancel it before I get billed I’m having a procedure done soon that will put me in the ICU for 8 weeks and before that may possibly be in a coma. I don’t need that extra worry. Thanks.
Change the CSV file to a delimited text file, save then import. At Support Microsoft to import export text it opens something again you have to pay for.
You can download Open Source Office here that will give you full compatibility with MS Office documents. I’ve used this before and it works great, totally free to use.
SA
Thank you very much! Now all I have to do is figure out how to reformat the NPM CSV file. Yikes!