# Restore lost album cover information
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-lost-album-cover-information/12622
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [October 24, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-lost-album-cover-information/12622 "2011-10-24T17:31:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@orange04](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/orange04)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-lost-album-cover-information/12622/1 "2011-10-24T17:31:16Z")
Hi!
I've downloaded an album from Amazon, which has the album cover attached to every title. I had to edit one of the files (because the second-to-last song annoyingly contained 4 minutes of silence at the end), which I did with Audacity. In the process, I lost the cover information for that particular file. Is there a possibility to restore it?
Thanks!
P.S. I suppose my main problem is that I don't know where the cover info for the other files is stored. It's a matter of interest rather than of life and death but I appreciate your suggestions!
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-lost-album-cover-information/12622/2 "2011-10-24T17:35:40Z")
> [@orange04](#):
>
> Hi!
> I've downloaded an album from Amazon, which has the album cover attached to every title. I had to edit one of the files (because the second-to-last song annoyingly contained 4 minutes of silence at the end), which I did with Audacity. In the process, I lost the cover information for that particular file. Is there a possibility to restore it?
> Thanks!
Restore not as such - lost is lost.
But if the other files still have the cover embedded, you can export it from one of these (Select a file with cover, press Alt-T for "Extended Tags", press the disc-symbol on the right of the displayed cover - enter a name that you can remember).
You then import the cover to the modified file with the same dialogue, only press the star (new) button. Select the graphic file that you just saved.
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### Author:  [@orange04](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/orange04)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-lost-album-cover-information/12622/3 "2011-10-24T17:50:15Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> Restore not as such - lost is lost.
> But if the other files still have the cover embedded, you can export it from one of these (Select a file with cover, press Alt-T for "Extended Tags", press the disc-symbol on the right of the displayed cover - enter a name that you can remember).
> You then import the cover to the modified file with the same dialogue, only press the star (new) button. Select the graphic file that you just saved.
Thank you very much! New problem: Nothing happens if I press Alt-T (in the menu "extended tags" is grey). Any ideas what the reason might be?
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-lost-album-cover-information/12622/4 "2011-10-24T18:05:49Z")
> [@orange04](#):
>
> Thank you very much! New problem: Nothing happens if I press Alt-T (in the menu "extended tags" is grey). Any ideas what the reason might be?
To see any tags you have to select at least one file in the files list.
What kind of Tags and file format do you have? Try to open the extended tags again and have a look at the dialogue title.
Is this an mp3 file with mp3 tags?
Or a different format like wav, flac, wma, aac? With other tags like ogg or ape?
---
### Author:  [@orange04](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/orange04)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-lost-album-cover-information/12622/5 "2011-10-24T18:11:25Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> Is this an mp3 file with mp3 tags?
> Or a different format like wav, flac, wma, aac? With other tags like ogg or ape?
All of them are mp3 files.
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-lost-album-cover-information/12622/6 "2011-10-24T18:18:10Z")
> [@orange04](#):
>
> All of them are mp3 files.
and? have you selected a file in the files list and then pressed Alt-T?
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### Author:  [@orange04](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/orange04)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-lost-album-cover-information/12622/7 "2011-10-24T18:25:09Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> and? have you selected a file in the files list and then pressed Alt-T?
Oh, right!! Apparently, that's what I overlooked in your first answer. Sorry for not reading properly!! :-/ And thank you very much for your help!
Do I have to keep the jpeg file or is it embedded independently in the mp3?
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-lost-album-cover-information/12622/8 "2011-10-24T18:31:58Z")
> [@orange04](#):
>
> Oh, right!! Apparently, that's what I overlooked in your first answer. Sorry for not reading properly!! :-/ And thank you very much for your help!
>
> Do I have to keep the jpeg file or is it embedded independently in the mp3?
external cover art files are mainly due to the requirements of some players like the wmp for win xp. This player still likes folder.jpg to show a picture for the cover.
Other players may have other requirements.
Also, there are some members in the forum who do not like to keep copies of cover bitmaps in every music files as they see as a waste of storage space.
So, technically speaking, it is not necessary to keep the external cover art file (unless your player needs it).
If you want to follow other storage concepts, you may want to follow those rules.
I, personally, like to store the cover art in every file as I believe in autonomous files with as little external references as possible.
And in your case: the redundancy in your files saved you from a loss of information.
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### Author:  [@orange04](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/orange04)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-lost-album-cover-information/12622/9 "2011-10-24T18:35:50Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> I, personally, like to store the cover art in every file as I believe in autonomous files with as little external references as possible.
> And in your case: the redundancy in your files saved you from a loss of information.
True! Thank you again!
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### Author:  [@ryerman](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ryerman)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-lost-album-cover-information/12622/10 "2011-10-25T02:13:17Z")
> [@orange04](#):
>
> ...I had to edit one of the files (because the second-to-last song annoyingly contained 4 minutes of silence at the end), which I did with Audacity. In the process, I lost the cover information for that particular file. Is there a possibility to restore it?...
You can avoid this problem by using a different application to perform simple edits.
For example, [mp3DirectCut](http://mpesch3.de1.cc/mp3dc.html) can cut and paste MP3 files while configured to keep ID3 tags, including embedded pictures.
But the real advantage is that mp3DirectCut does not decode and re-encode files. Audacity **does** re-encode files when they are exported after editing. This usually **degrades** the quality of lossy formats like MP3.
Jim
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### Author:  [@orange04](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/orange04)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2011, 8:07am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-lost-album-cover-information/12622/11 "2011-10-25T08:07:00Z")
> [@ryerman](#):
>
> You can avoid this problem by using a different application to perform simple edits.
> For example, [mp3DirectCut](http://mpesch3.de1.cc/mp3dc.html) can cut and paste MP3 files while configured to keep ID3 tags, including embedded pictures.
>
> But the real advantage is that mp3DirectCut does not decode and re-encode files. Audacity **does** re-encode files when they are exported after editing. This usually **degrades** the quality of lossy formats like MP3.
>
> [shntool](http://www.etree.org/shnutils/shntool/) is a commandline application that can split and join lossless formats (eg. FLAC, APE) without re-encoding but it does not preserve tags.
>
> Jim
Thank you for the advice, I'm going to try that next time!
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:23pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-lost-album-cover-information/12622/12 "2026-02-09T12:23:24Z")