# Changing Tags Permanently
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/changing-tags-permanently/54111
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [August 18, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/changing-tags-permanently/54111 "2021-08-18T20:16:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Splungeworthy](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Splungeworthy)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/changing-tags-permanently/54111/1 "2021-08-18T20:16:57Z")
Newbie here. I'm trying to change tags on songs so that I can load them into my usb stick in a certain order. What I'm seeing is the filenames are getting changed permanently in their regular folders. I just want to change them so that I can load them onto a stick, not make permanent changes. Help!
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### Author:  [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/changing-tags-permanently/54111/2 "2021-08-18T21:56:20Z")
You can't copy files "in a certain order". The files are always sorted at the target by either
a) the filename
or
b) the filedate
or
c) the filesize
or
d) the file extension/file type
If you want that your files will be played from your usb stick in a certain order, you have to find out what your playing software except as "sort order attribute". Does it needs the filename to be named for example like
01 - artist - title.mp3
02 - artist - tilte.mp3
03 - artist - title.mp3
Or does it play the songs alphabetically like
ABBA - title 1.mp3
COMMODORES - title 2.mp3
or does the player read the embedded ID3 tags inside your songs?
If yes, by which tag are they sorted? By ARTIST? By TITLE? By ALBUM?
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### Author:  [@Splungeworthy](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Splungeworthy)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2021, 12:23am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/changing-tags-permanently/54111/3 "2021-08-19T00:23:12Z")
I figured it out. I copy the files over to the stick first, then drag them into Mp3Tag from there, do the tagging, and them dump them back onto the stick. The original files don't change, the new tagged files are auto numbered so that the stick plays them in the correct order, and life is good. The stick seems to play files in numerical order, so I changed all of the filenames to start with album name then 001, 002, etc. That way albums are played in the correct order.
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:29pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/changing-tags-permanently/54111/4 "2026-02-09T12:29:22Z")