Importing Passwords from an Excel .csv file?

[R_Llorene_Bezanson]

When I switched to Norton 360, I exported all my passwords from PassWatch to an Excel .csv file. I’ve tried to import them into Norton password vault but it doesn’t allow me to do it. It wants to import directly from a very limited number of password vault programs. Is there anyway to simply import from a .csv file?

[bjm]

Norton Password Manager does support CSV import, but it’s picky about the column format. If the structure isn’t right, the import will either fail or silently skip entries.

Expected CSV format

Norton typically expects a header row like this:

url,username,password,title,notes

Column details

• url → Website login page (e.g., https://example.com)
• username → Login name/email
• password → Password
• title → Friendly name (e.g., “Example Account”)
• notes → Optional extra info

Example row

https://example.com,john@email.com,mySecurePass123,Example Account,Personal login

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Common gotchas

• Headers must be lowercase and exact
• No extra columns unless Norton supports them (it usually ignores unknown ones, but not always cleanly)
• File must be saved as plain CSV (UTF-8) — not Excel .xlsx
• Avoid special characters breaking the format (commas in fields should be quoted)

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If you’re exporting from another password manager

Different apps (like Chrome, Bitwarden, etc.) use slightly different headers, so you may need to:

• Rename columns
• Reorder them
• Delete unsupported fields

Norton Password Manager does not support importing a “generic” CSV file from arbitrary apps like PassWatch. That’s why your file isn’t being accepted.

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What Norton actually allows

Norton only supports:

• Direct imports from specific apps (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Dashlane, 1Password, LastPass, etc.)
• Or a very specific CSV format that Norton itself exports

In their own documentation, the “CSV import” option is specifically for:

a CSV file exported from Norton Password Manager

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Why your PassWatch CSV fails

Your Excel/CSV likely doesn’t match Norton’s internal schema. Common issues:

• Wrong column names/order
• Missing hidden fields (like version/type)
• Extra header lines or formatting
• Excel altering values (very common)

Norton doesn’t give you a way to “map fields” like other password managers do—so it just rejects the file.

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The workaround (this is the key)

You can still import your data—but you have to convert your CSV into Norton’s format:

Method 1 (most reliable)

1. Open Norton Password Manager
2. Export your (empty or minimal) vault → this creates a valid Norton CSV template
3. Open that file in a plain text editor (not Excel if possible)
4. Copy your PassWatch data into that template:

• Match columns exactly
• Keep all Norton-specific fields intact

5. Save as CSV (UTF-8)
6. Import using:

• Source = “Norton Password Manager (CSV)”

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Known quirk

There’s even a long-standing issue where:

• The “Version” column may need to be 2.0 instead of 2 or import fails

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Alternative workaround (sometimes easier)

Instead of fighting Norton’s format:

1. Import your CSV into a browser like Chrome (it accepts generic CSVs)
2. Then use Norton’s:

• “Import from Chrome”

This often works because Norton understands Chrome’s structure.

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Bottom line

• You cannot directly import a random CSV into Norton
• You must match Norton’s exact CSV format or go through a supported app like Chrome

To import a CSV file into Norton Password Manager, you’ll first need to ensure your CSV file is correctly formatted with specific column headers like “url”, “username”, and “password”. After formatting, you can initiate the import process through the Norton Password Manager extension in your browser (Chrome, Firefox, or Edge).

Detailed Steps:
1. Prepare the CSV File:

• Open your CSV file (created from a previous export or manually).
• The first row of your CSV should contain the column headers: url, username, password.
• Each subsequent row should contain the corresponding data for each login entry.
• Ensure that the “Version” column, if present, is formatted as “2.0” (a number, not the text “2”).

2. Open Norton Password Manager:

• Open the Norton Password Manager browser extension (Chrome, Firefox, or Edge).
• Sign in to your Norton Password Manager vault.

3. Import the CSV:

• Locate and click the “Import” or “Import data to my vault” option within the extension.
• Select “CSV file” as the source type.
• Click “Select File” and browse to your prepared CSV file.
• Click “Open” to select the file.
• Click “Import” to begin the import process.

4. Verify the Import:

• After the import is complete, verify that your passwords have been successfully added to your vault.
• You can also check the Norton Password Manager vault to view and manage your imported passwords.

Important Notes:

• If you’re importing from another password manager, ensure your CSV file is in the correct format (e.g., “url”, “username”, “password”).
• If you encounter issues, double-check the format of your CSV file and ensure it matches Norton’s expected structure.

AI sourced content may make mistakes

Import logins to Norton Password Manager vault

May be related: https://community.norton.com/t/norton-password-import-csv-does-not-find-any-passwords/502384/6

Caveat: Norton Password Manager is not my daily rider

[bjm]

Hello @R_Llorene_Bezanson
Care to share your progress