# Preserve special characters during action group

**URL:** <https://community.mp3tag.de/t/preserve-special-characters-during-action-group/15392>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [January 13, 2014, 7:14am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/preserve-special-characters-during-action-group/15392 "2014-01-13T07:14:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mp3me](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@mp3me](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mp3me)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 7:14am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/preserve-special-characters-during-action-group/15392/1 "2014-01-13T07:14:35Z")

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I have a properly tagged mp3 file in which some tags have proper unicode characters. When I perform an action group to spit my band member field into separate fields for each band member contained in the original band member tag, the unicode characters are not preserved and are replaced with unreadable garbage.

Replace "BAND": "\\" -\> "\\"  
Split fields by separator "BAND": "\\"

How may I avoid this behavior? Note that I do not see this behavior with flac files. Also some special characters are preserved - like é but not ā.

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**Author:** ![chrishirst](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@chrishirst](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/chrishirst)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 8:13am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/preserve-special-characters-during-action-group/15392/2 "2014-01-13T08:13:40Z")

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Check that you are set to write UTF-16 for ID3v2 tags.

File -\> Options -\> Tags -\> Mpeg -\> Set ID3v2.3 UTF-16

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**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:** [January 13, 2014, 8:46am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/preserve-special-characters-during-action-group/15392/3 "2014-01-13T08:46:48Z")

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> [@mp3me](#):
>
> I have a properly tagged mp3 file in which some tags have proper unicode characters. When I perform an action group to spit my band member field into separate fields for each band member contained in the original band member tag, the unicode characters are not preserved and are replaced with unreadable garbage. ...

**BAND='abc+++Звезды+++Çay Elinden Öteye+++Drei 1⁄2' BAND=$replace(%BAND%,'+++','\\\\') ... or ... Split fields by separator: Field=BAND Separator=+ ... both works for me ... using "ID3v2.4 UTF-8" ...**

**... there are four tag-fields BAND now with proper content.**

 

DD.20140113.1047.CET

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**Author:** ![mp3me](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@mp3me](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mp3me)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 7:01am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/preserve-special-characters-during-action-group/15392/4 "2014-01-14T07:01:19Z")

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Did the trick for me. Thanks!

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**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, 12:24pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/preserve-special-characters-during-action-group/15392/5 "2026-02-09T12:24:51Z")

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Closed on February 9, 2026, 12:24pm UTC