Convert to UTF-8
Detect common text encodings (UTF-8, UTF-16, Windows-1252) and convert text or subtitle files to UTF-8 downloads.
Convert to UTF-8
Detect common text encodings (UTF-8, UTF-16, Windows-1252) and convert text or subtitle files to UTF-8 downloads.
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About this convert to utf-8
Convert to UTF-8 detects the encoding of a text or subtitle file and re-saves it as UTF-8, which fixes the garbled accented characters and broken symbols that come from a mismatched encoding. Upload the file and download a UTF-8 version that displays correctly everywhere.
Older subtitle and text files are often saved in regional encodings that modern players and editors misread. UTF-8 is the universal standard, so converting once resolves the strange characters and keeps the text portable across apps and platforms.
Common uses
- Fix garbled accented characters in a subtitle or text file.
- Convert a file saved in a regional encoding to universal UTF-8.
- Standardise text files to UTF-8 before importing them elsewhere.
Helpful tips
- If characters already look wrong, the source encoding is usually the cause, not the text.
- Convert to UTF-8 before editing so your edits do not compound the encoding problem.
- Keep the original until you confirm the converted file displays correctly.
How to use Convert to UTF-8
- Upload or paste the subtitle file you want to handle with Convert to UTF-8.
- Confirm the source format, cue order, encoding, and timing style before making changes.
- Run the conversion, cleanup, timing shift, merge, or edit action with a small timing check in mind.
- Preview captions near the beginning, middle, and end of the video to catch drift or formatting issues.
- Export the subtitle file in the format your video editor, player, or publishing platform expects.
Frequently asked questions
Why do accented characters look broken?
The file is likely saved in an encoding the app does not expect. Converting it to UTF-8 usually restores the correct characters.
What is UTF-8 and why use it?
UTF-8 is the standard text encoding that supports virtually all characters. Using it keeps text readable across modern apps, players, and platforms.
Which encodings can it detect?
It recognises UTF-8 and UTF-16 (using byte-order marks and byte patterns), and treats other single-byte files as Western European (Windows-1252 / ISO-8859-1). It is not a universal detector, so very different legacy encodings may not be identified automatically.
Is Convert to UTF-8 free, and does it work on mobile?
Yes. Convert to UTF-8 is free to use on JustBloc with no account or installation, and the page is designed to work on desktop, tablet, and mobile browsers.