# A tad confused - Windows Explorer does not show contributing artist
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/a-tad-confused-windows-explorer-does-not-show-contributing-artist/60221
**Category:** Support
**Tags:** player
**Created:** [February 27, 2023, 5:34pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/a-tad-confused-windows-explorer-does-not-show-contributing-artist/60221 "2023-02-27T17:34:52Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@groston](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/groston)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2023, 5:34pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/a-tad-confused-windows-explorer-does-not-show-contributing-artist/60221/1 "2023-02-27T17:34:52Z")
I am using MP3tag to clean up some files on my Windows 7 computer. Here's the issue: I cleaned up one MP3 file, and the cleanup included changing the artist name. When I look at the file in MP3tag, everything looks just like it should. However, when I use Windows Explorer, I see a column entitled 'Contributing Artist', which I don't see in MP3tag, but it is possibly the Artist field? Also, the data that shows in Windows Explorer is the artist name before I changed it and I do not see the old artists name with MP3tag.
Out of curiosity, I opened the file using a text editor and found the old artist name, which I thought I had changed, in the last line in the file.
My thought is that I need to enable seeing more fields in MP3tag and change the artist name in a hidden field, but no idea if this is correct. Any suggestions?
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2023, 5:38pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/a-tad-confused-windows-explorer-does-not-show-contributing-artist/60221/2 "2023-02-27T17:38:50Z")
Se whether you have APE tags in the files and whether you update them with MP3tag.
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### Author:  [@MotleyG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MotleyG)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2023, 5:49pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/a-tad-confused-windows-explorer-does-not-show-contributing-artist/60221/3 "2023-02-27T17:49:49Z")
You can have a look at this thread as well, with the same issues addressed.
> [@Metadata only in Groove Music, not in MP3 or Win Explorer](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/metadata-only-in-groove-music-not-in-mp3-or-win-explorer/60141/9):
>
> A quick search of Google would suggest to me that many others have similar issues using Groove and trying to manage the metadata in that application. You may want to check a few of those ideas for handling these shortcomings. I would suggest using mp3tag moving forward for taking care of all of your library metadata management, and using the player as just that.
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### Author:  [@groston](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/groston)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2023, 9:37pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/a-tad-confused-windows-explorer-does-not-show-contributing-artist/60221/4 "2023-02-27T21:37:20Z")
Thanks for the replies. Based on that which was written, I did a little for searching and found the MP3tag View-\>Extended tags. Here, I saw ‘Contributing Artist’, was able to edit it, and the info showed up properly in Windows Explorer.
However, I am wondering if there is a ‘bug’ in Windows or MP3tags. Why? The field that appears as simply ‘Artist’ in MP3tag seems to be the field that Windows Explorer shows as ‘Contributing Artist’. I also suspect that the mp3 files in question may have be damaged or corrupted, in some sense, because of some other strangeness.
Anyway, problem resolved.
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### Author:  [@MotleyG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MotleyG)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2023, 9:48pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/a-tad-confused-windows-explorer-does-not-show-contributing-artist/60221/5 "2023-02-27T21:48:24Z")
Windows Explorer isn't really built around metadata for music files. But you will find that many different music library managers, players, and even mp3tag have slightly different "friendly" naming conventions for the tag fields - but they are all mapped to the same field. So this isn't a bug in Windows or mp3tag, just a matter of the description of the tags. Often these can be found the way you did, using the Extended tags view.
You can find the mapping table here for mp3tag.
> **[Tag Field Mappings Table – Mp3tag Documentation](https://docs.mp3tag.de/mapping-table/)**
>
> Overview of all available tag fields, their names in Mp3tag, and how they are mapped to the internal structures of the different tag formats. Mp3tag is the universal Tag Editor.
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2023, 6:43am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/a-tad-confused-windows-explorer-does-not-show-contributing-artist/60221/6 "2023-02-28T06:43:38Z")
> [@groston](#):
>
> I also suspect that the mp3 files in question may have be damaged or corrupted, in some sense, because of some other strangeness.
Check out this post for hints also on how to check files for integrity:
> [@Hints for asking Support Requests](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/hints-for-asking-support-requests/56190):
>
> If you need support using Mp3tag, you can help the community members that are about to support you in finding a solution or workaround to your problem, by following these simple guidelines. Be descriptive, also in what you’ve already tried Please give a short explanation what’s not working as expected or what you’re trying to achieve. It’s best to know any details about the problem at hand and especially, what steps you’ve already tried to solve it by yourself. Helpful information also includ…
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2023, 6:43am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/a-tad-confused-windows-explorer-does-not-show-contributing-artist/60221/7 "2023-03-30T06:43:55Z")
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