# Change from ISO-8859-1 to UTF-16
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/change-from-iso-8859-1-to-utf-16/62916
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [November 29, 2023, 6:49pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/change-from-iso-8859-1-to-utf-16/62916 "2023-11-29T18:49:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ClaudeR](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ClaudeR)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2023, 6:49pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/change-from-iso-8859-1-to-utf-16/62916/1 "2023-11-29T18:49:21Z")
Hello,
With the latest mp3tag that I installed, it seems that any operation done through the software to modify or enrich the tags of my mp3 files automatically results in a modification of the encoding choice, from ISO-8859-1 to UTF-16.
However, I have almost ten thousand mp3s, which work perfectly well in ISO-8859-1, both on my various PC software and those on my multiple Android devices.
I therefore do not want this character table transformation each time I interact with the tags of my files.
So is there a simple way to prevent this with the latest version of your excellent software?
(In passing, I noted that this table transformation did not occur with earlier versions of your software, for example v2.82)
Thanking you in advance for your response
Sincerely
Claude
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/change-from-iso-8859-1-to-utf-16/62916/2 "2023-11-29T18:53:54Z")
See Options Ctrl-O \> Tags\>Mpeg
for settings to write ID3V2 tags.
Please note that ID3V2.3 in UTF-16 offers much better support for non-ascii characters than the ISO-8859-1 which relies on your system's code page to display the correct characters.
So, actually, I would go the other way and transform all ISO tags into UTF tags.
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### Author:  [@ClaudeR](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ClaudeR)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2023, 11:42am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/change-from-iso-8859-1-to-utf-16/62916/3 "2023-11-30T11:42:39Z")
Thank you for your prompt response.
It's working properly again, and I must admit I searched for a long time on this problem, without success... before deciding to write to you!
Transforming all ISO Tags into UTF seems to me to be a good initiative:
For your information, my CD to Mp3 conversion chain uses CDex and PSPad Editor, before finalization with Mp3tag.
And if Mp3tag sees my texts in ISO-8859-1 form, yet PSPad provided them in UTF-8 form...
Too complicated for me!
Thanks again
Claude
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2023, 12:36pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/change-from-iso-8859-1-to-utf-16/62916/4 "2023-11-30T12:36:42Z")
See also here:
> [@Problems with ID3v2 tags in Unicode format?](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/problems-with-id3v2-tags-in-unicode-format/2785):
>
> Since version 2.33 Mp3tag supports Unicode through the whole program. Mp3tag writes ID3v2 tags in Unicode format (UTF-16) by default now, but there are still some programs, portables or car radios which have problems with ID3v2 tags stored in Unicode format (though this is specified within the ID3v2 standard). To use Mp3tag with these programs or devices, simply enable the option (x) ID3v2.3 ISO-8859-1 at [:mt\_options:] Options \> Tags \> Mpeg. After that, just save the tags again by clicking […
So, in fact, it is more likely that older programs and devices have problems with UTF-16.
UTF-8 is used for ID3V2.4 which is probably even more recent than ID3V2.3 and UTF-16.
To transform the tag encoding
Set the options to write UTF-16 tags.
load the files
select the files
press Ctrl-S to save the tags again.
Done.
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:30pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/change-from-iso-8859-1-to-utf-16/62916/5 "2026-02-09T12:30:12Z")