Excel 2016 doesn't save CSV file with commas

Question

I'm trying to save an excel spreadsheet (it's reduced to a single worksheet with a single column of data) as a CSV file so I can import it into another tool.  This used to always work super easy and straight forward but now I'm finding that no matter what options I select I just get a text file with the data shown in a column but there is no comma separation.  I expected something like this:

abc,def,ghi,jkl,mno

but instead I'm getting:

abc

def

ghi

jkl

mno

Why can't a get a standard csv file anymore?  I tried this in both excel 2013 and 2016 with the same results.

Answer 1

When the data is in a single column the CSV file will have what you indicate - that is how Excel always worked

If you want abc,def,ghi,jkl,mno then the data must be in a single row

The first screenshot shows Sheet1 with the original data in column A

Using Copy and Paste Special I transposed the data to C1:G1

Then I deleted columns A and B

Then I did as SaveAs specifying CSV

The second screenshot shows the opened in Notepad

best wishes

Answer 2

I don't remember it "always" working this way.  I have a single column of emails and trying to create a csv file to import into an email system and it constantly fails because the system says it's not a valid file because it is not finding it being a comma separated format which is true, it's not.  It's a file with emails on each line and not a single comma.  It messes up the process.