# How to find which version ID3v2.3 is inside? **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [March 31, 2016, 7:51pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-to-find-which-version-id3v2-3-is-inside/17808 "2016-03-31T19:51:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kael](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/2acd7d/32.png) [@kael](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/kael)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2016, 7:51pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-to-find-which-version-id3v2-3-is-inside/17808/1 "2016-03-31T19:51:17Z")
For writing the ID3v2.3 tag you can choose which type you like to use; ID3v2.3 ISO or ID3v2.3 UTF-16. But how to find out which type of ID3v2.3 is already inside a mp3 file? The column Tag only shows ID3v2.3, but nothing more. The Read setting is not specific, just ID3v2.3. ---
**Author:** ![stanman](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@stanman](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stanman)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-to-find-which-version-id3v2-3-is-inside/17808/2 "2016-03-31T19:59:28Z")
Use the column Encoding which has the Value and Field %\_id3v2\_character\_encoding% ---
**Author:** ![garym](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/garym/32/4822_2.png) [@garym](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/garym)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2016, 8:10pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-to-find-which-version-id3v2-3-is-inside/17808/3 "2016-03-31T20:10:46Z")
> [@kael](#): > > For writing the ID3v2.3 tag you can choose which type you like to use; ID3v2.3 ISO or ID3v2.3 UTF-16. > But how to find out which type of ID3v2.3 is already inside a mp3 file? > The column Tag only shows ID3v2.3, but nothing more. The Read setting is not specific, just ID3v2.3. right click on column headings, choose customize, then add a column. Give it name "tag type" and put this in the field: %\_tag\_read%[(%\_tag%)] this will show you the tags in the file and the tag being read. ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-to-find-which-version-id3v2-3-is-inside/17808/4 "2016-04-01T17:40:45Z")
> [@kael](#): > > For writing the ID3v2.3 tag you can choose which type you like to use; ID3v2.3 ISO or ID3v2.3 UTF-16. > But how to find out which type of ID3v2.3 is already inside a mp3 file? > The column Tag only shows ID3v2.3, but nothing more. The Read setting is not specific, just ID3v2.3. In a way this is not really important as long as it is correct. After writing it will be as you set in the options. You may include a custom column with the value %\_id3v2\_character\_encoding% ---
**Author:** ![Rijkstra](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/rijkstra/32/22_2.png) [@Rijkstra](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Rijkstra)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2016, 7:43pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-to-find-which-version-id3v2-3-is-inside/17808/5 "2016-04-01T19:43:12Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#): > > In a way this is not really important as long as it is correct. After writing it will be as you set in the options. > > You may include a custom column with the value %\_id3v2\_character\_encoding% Right, I have a lot of old ISO tags. Rewriting them without an edit isn't going to change the bad characters that may be in them. I just added **$left(%\_id3v2\_character\_encoding%,3)** to my Tag column. Just the leading character would suffice, however. ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-to-find-which-version-id3v2-3-is-inside/17808/6 "2016-04-01T19:46:39Z")
> [@Rijkstra](#): > > Right, I have a lot of old ISO tags. Rewriting them without an edit isn't going to change the bad characters that may be in them. > > I just added **$left(%\_id3v2\_character\_encoding%,3)** to my Tags column. E.g. Mp3diags checks for ANSI encoding and "repairs" the tags assuming the English code page. So perhaps a run with that program might do the trick. ---
**Author:** ![DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/detlevd/32/123_2.png) [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2016, 3:53am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-to-find-which-version-id3v2-3-is-inside/17808/7 "2016-04-02T03:53:36Z")
> [@kael](#): > > ... But how to find out which type of ID3v2.3 is already inside a mp3 file? ... Maybe a combination of two columns can give more information at once ... **Mp3tag column definition Name : TagRead (TagTypes) Value: %\_tag\_read%[' ('%\_tag%')'] Name : CharEnc Value: $ifgreater($strstr('|FLAC|MP4|WMA|','|'%\_tag\_read%'|'),0,'UTF-8',%\_id3v2\_character\_encoding%)** DD.20160402.0753.CEST ---
**Author:** ![garym](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/garym/32/4822_2.png) [@garym](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/garym)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2016, 11:29am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-to-find-which-version-id3v2-3-is-inside/17808/8 "2016-04-02T11:29:06Z")
> [@DetlevD](#): > > Maybe a combination of two columns can give more information at once ... > > **Mp3tag column definition Name : TagRead (TagTypes) Value: %\_tag\_read%[' ('%\_tag%')'] Name : CharEnc Value: $ifgreater($strstr('|FLAC|MP4|WMA|','|'%\_tag\_read%'|'),0,'UTF-8',%\_id3v2\_character\_encoding%)** > > DD.20160402.0753.CEST thanks. and question: the above implies that FLAC tags (vorbis comments) and mp4, wma are all only UTF-8. Is that the case? Never knew that. ---
**Author:** ![DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/detlevd/32/123_2.png) [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-to-find-which-version-id3v2-3-is-inside/17808/9 "2016-04-02T15:40:25Z")
> [@garym](#): > > thanks. and question: the above implies that FLAC tags (vorbis comments) and mp4, wma are all only UTF-8. Is that the case? Never knew that. For FLAC/VorbisComment see there ... [https://www.xiph.org/vorbis/doc/Vorbis\_I\_sp...l#x1-890005.2.3](https://www.xiph.org/vorbis/doc/Vorbis_I_spec.html#x1-890005.2.3) ... and search for "UTF-8": _"Field contents ... use the UTF-8 character encoding to allow easy representation of any language."_ Regarding the filetypes WMA and MP4 I am not sure, whether there would be allowed to apply any different character encoding within tag-fields. If you come along with such files, then you may modify the Mp3tag column definition respectively. Please put a note into the Mp3tag forum about the facts. DD.20160402.2009.CEST ---
**Author:** ![garym](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/garym/32/4822_2.png) [@garym](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/garym)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2016, 3:43pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-to-find-which-version-id3v2-3-is-inside/17808/10 "2016-04-02T15:43:30Z")
> [@DetlevD](#): > > For FLAC/VorbisComment see there ... > [https://www.xiph.org/vorbis/doc/Vorbis\_I\_sp...l#x1-890005.2.3](https://www.xiph.org/vorbis/doc/Vorbis_I_spec.html#x1-890005.2.3) > ... and search for "UTF-8": > _"Field contents ... use the UTF-8 character encoding to allow easy representation of any language."_ > > DD.20160402.1940.CEST Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/c/ce7035d426cb755a7916793326d23b465222a407.png) [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 12:26pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-to-find-which-version-id3v2-3-is-inside/17808/11 "2026-02-09T12:26:11Z")
Closed on February 9, 2026, 12:26pm UTC