can notes import a csv file?

It is not possible based on this Apple atricle -> Import your notes and files to the Notes app

Import your notes and files to the Notes app – Apple Support (UK)

I wonder if the iPhone version of Numbers might be able to import the .CSV file. It apparently can import text files, and offers the ability to specify delimiter characters (via a Delimited tab).

Numbers User Guide for iPhone - Apple Support

CSV files are just text files that use delimiters – usually commas – to separate values.

If Notes can import a .txt file, then you could change the extension of the .csv file to .txt and then import it. But Notes won't separate out the fields for you. If your CSV file contained something like

Bread,$4.19,be sure to get whole-grain

Half-gallon of milk,$1.99,1% or 2% only

Gallon of iced tea,$3.49

then Notes isn't going to break up each line into columns after doing the import. If you're unlucky, there may be some end-of-line terminator mismatch so that all of the lines get run together on one giant line. But CSV is just lightly-formatted text.

deparker wrote:

my Toodledo file for Notes exports to a csv file. can Notes import it? appears not.

No. Apple Notes doesn’t support csv. Notes can import txt text files, rtf and rtfd retch, err, rich text files, and html.

But since csv files are plain text files, you can change the file extension to txt and import it.

While Notes can’t import csv, Apple iWork Numbers, LibreOffice Calc, many databases, and various other tools can.

Notes… not so much.

csv is a simple-looking text format that unfortunately has differing interpretations of formatting details.

This shortcut might do what you want, loading a csv into a table: https://routinehub.co/shortcut/12445/

Caveat: I have looked at the contents of that shortcut, but have not tested it.