How do I determine the encoding of a text file in Notepad?
Jul 19, 2025 am 03:00 AMTo determine the encoding of the text file opened in Notepad, you can infer it by the encoding options, BOM identification, and display effects during saving. First, select "Save As" in the "File" menu to view the default saved encoding format (such as ANSI, UTF-8, Unicode, etc.), which may be consistent with the current encoding; second, check whether the file contains a BOM identifier (such as EF BB BF represents UTF-8, FF FE represents UTF-16LE), and use a hexadecimal editor or tool such as PowerShell to view it; third, observe whether the text display is abnormal, such as garbled code or symbol replacement, and try to save it with different encodings to restore the correct display; finally, use Notepad, VS Code or command line tools for more accurate encoding detection and conversion.
When you open a text file in Notepad and want to figure out its encoding, there's no direct label telling you what it is. But there are ways to infer or check the encoding based on how the text looks and behaves — especially if it shows strange characters or doesn't display properly.
Look at the File Menu
One of the easiest clues lies in the Save As option:
- Open the file in Notepad.
- Go to File > Save As .
- In the dialog box that pops up, look at the Encoding dropdown at the bottom.
This won't tell you for sure what the current encoding is, but it will show what encoding Notepad assumes when saving. If the file displays correctly and you haven't changed the encoding before saving, the selected option here might match the actual encoding.
Common options include:
- ANSI
- UTF-8
- Unicode (UTF-16LE)
- Unicode big endian (UTF-16BE)
Check for the BOM (Byte Order Mark)
Some encodings, like UTF-8, UTF-16LE, and UTF-16BE, may start with a special marker called the BOM . Notepad uses this behind the scenes to detect encoding automatically when opening files.
You can't see the BOM directly in Notepad, but you can use a hex editor or another tool like PowerShell or Python to inspect the first few bytes of the file. For example:
- UTF-8 BOM:
EF BB BF
- UTF-16LE BOM:
FF FE
- UTF-16BE BOM:
FE FF
If you're not comfortable with hex editors, try opening the file in a more advanced editor like Notepad or VS Code, which often display the encoding in the status bar or allow you to convert between encodings easily.
Observe Display Issues
Sometimes, the best clue is how the text looks:
- If non-English characters appear as boxes, question marks, or gibberish (like “??” instead of “é”), it's likely a mismatch in encoding.
- Try re-saving the file in different encodings via Notepad's Save As menu and see which one makes the text readable again.
For example:
- If you open a UTF-8 file and save it as ANSI, some characters might get distorted.
- If you save as UTF-8 and the text looks better, you were probably dealing with a Unicode-based encoding.
Use External Tools When Needed
Notepad has its limits. If you need more accurate detection or conversion:
- Notepad : Shows current encoding in the menu and allow conversion.
- PowerShell / Command Line : You can use scripts to detect encoding.
- Online tools : There are simple converters that let you upload a file and see what encoding it uses.
These options give more insight than Notepad alone, especially for technical users or developers working with multiple languages or systems.
Basically that's it.
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