Do multiple e-mail addresses need to be separated by a comma?

Question

In CSV format, in an Excel spreadsheet or in a Word document, both having multiple email addresses with each address being in its own row and in a single column, is a comma REQUIRED after each address?

Answer 1

Well, the answer to that is entirely dependent on what you are going to do with those email addresses. Email addresses in a word document, or in excel, or in whatever, can be separated by whatever you feel like - whatever is most pleasing to the eye.

fred@bloggs.com :) foo@bar.com :) mail@example.com

is just one example of email addresses separated by smilies.

The only one you mentioned that has any strict formatting is the CSV file, where fields are separated by a column. If the email addresses are grouped into one column then if I were you I'd separate them with anything except commas.

So until we know what you are going to do with the email addresses we can't tell you what is required to delimit them.

Answer 2

Assuming you are going to use the e-mail addresses as the recipient list for your e-mails, you should be able to separate them with semi-colons. If you separate them with commas they'll be treated as separate columns by what ever reads the CSV file.

Though I'd double check that your e-mail client accepts that format first.

Answer 3

Quotes should work within a CSV to keep a cell intact if you want to put commas in it.

Example:

Cell 1, Cell 2, "Cell 3, Still Cell 3", Cell 4