.. _2026-05-26-windows-bom-file-fix_release:

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2026-05-26 - Windows-Encoded File BOM Detection and Truncation
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Release
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AgileData.io - No More Windows File Headaches: BOM Characters Now Handled Automatically

Files created on Windows computers often contain a hidden byte-order mark (BOM) character at the very start of the file. While invisible to most text editors, this character can cause problems when AgileData processes the file — appearing as garbled data in the first field, or causing parsing failures entirely.

AgileData's file processing layer now detects and silently strips the BOM from any Windows-encoded file before processing begins. You no longer need to pre-process or re-save your files to remove the BOM — just drop the file and AgileData handles the rest.

**What was happening:**

* Files saved on Windows with a BOM (byte-order mark) encoding could cause the first field to contain invisible characters
* This led to parsing errors or incorrect values in the first column of affected files

**What this means for you:**

* Windows-encoded CSV and text files process correctly without any pre-processing needed
* No more mysterious first-field errors from files exported from Windows applications like Excel

Last Refreshed
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*Doc Refreshed: 2026-05-26*