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Release Notes

Here, I describe new features and noteworthy changes. Please see the Changelog for a complete list.

Mp3tag v3.28

2024-11-15

Large Toolbar Icons

Depending on the screen resolution, the Windows DPI settings, and/or the individual strength of eyesight, the toolbar icons could be perceived as too small and as difficult to identify and distinguish. I’ve added support for scaling toolbar icons up to 200%. You can find the new configuration setting at File → Options → Appearance.

Replace Cover

If you want to replace the existing embedded album cover, it involved a couple of steps (removing old, and selecting new). If the file had multiple covers and you wanted to replace a cover, even more steps were involved: in addition, the existing covers needed to be exported and re-added. This is a thing of the past, and the currently displayed cover can now easily be replaced via the Edit → Cover → Replace Cover function (also available via the right-click contextual menu on the cover window).

Mp3tag v3.27a

2024-08-21

Hotfix for MP4 tagging

That was quick! v3.27 had some issues wrt. MP4 tagging where fields iTunNORM and iTunSMPB were removed on tag update. I’ve decided to pull a hotfix release to make sure that as many people as possible are using the fixed version.

Mp3tag v3.27

2024-08-08

Searching the File List

I’ve added support for searching the File List via Edit → Find… and Ctrl+F. Till now, it was always possible to Filter the File List, i.e., reducing the list of files based on simple or complex criteria. However, sometimes it’s also helpful to see which fields are affected or to inspect the matching files in context of the unmatched files. This is where the new Find feature comes into play. It opens a dedicated search window, lists the matching files (you also sort the list, e.g., by field!), and provides means of selecting and navigating the File List based on those matches.

Cover Dimensions for Discogs Query Results

This new column for Discogs Query Results is for everyone who prefers square cover art.

Improvements for MP4 support

This version adds support for Opus in MP4 containers, introduces new MP4-specific field mappings, adds support for detection of AV1 video tracks in MP4, and adds error reporting for malformed MP4 files.

Re-Implemented TAK support

I got rid of the official TAK library tak_deco_lib.dll, which was only available as external DLL and re-implemented Mp3tag’s support for TAK with my own parser. This change was triggered by CVE-2024-7193, where a malicious actor created and distributed Mp3tag alongside a modified tak_deco_lib.dll, which contained malicious code.

Updated Code-Signing Certificate

I’ve updated the code-signing certificate that is used to digitally sign and verify the origin and integrity of Mp3tag’s installer and executable.

Bugfixes

This new version also includes a surprising amount of fixed bugs, so I recommend everyone to update — especially if something doesn’t work as expected.

Mp3tag v3.26

2024-05-24

Cover Thumbnails for Query Results from Tag Sources

When importing via Discogs or MusicBrainz, it was often difficult to decide which release to pick from the list of Tag Sources query results. Some had the correct cover, but for many, it often was a back-and-forth to decide which release to pick. This new version now adds support for Cover Thumbnails in the list of query results. You can even hover over the small thumbnail image to see a bigger version.

Copy as Text to Clipboard

Another often requested feature was a quick way of copying a textual representation of the selected files to the clipboard. There is this workaround of using Mp3tag’s export feature, but it’s often too powerful for the task at hand. This new version now offers Edit → Copy as Text… where you can use a format string to select what to copy to the clipboard.

Bugfixes and Performance Improvements

Last, this release fixes a lot of long-standing bugs. Beyond that, there is a significant increase in performance when writing tags via the Tag Panel, Extended Tags, or the converters. It’s quite nice!

Mp3tag v3.25

2024-03-28

This version is a spring-cleaning release and fixes a few issues that were reported over the past weeks.

Mp3tag v3.24

2024-01-26

Playlist Generator

It’s available via File → Generate Playlists... or Ctrl+Shift+P and enables the creation of several playlists at once based on a format string that is used to partition the set of selected files. This way, you can create, e.g., one playlist for each album or one for each directory. It’s quite powerful! And it’s also available as an action for Mp3tag’s action groups.

Improvements for action Remove Duplicate Fields

I’ve extended the Remove Duplicate Fields action to allow for selecting the duplicate field to remove (before it removed all duplicate fields) and to allow for removing only duplicate fields that have the same content.

Optimization of Padding for FLAC Files

For people who are using FLAC, I’ve added Utils → Optimize FLAC to the right-click context menu which ensures that 4KB of padding exists in the file. It’s especially helpful if metadata isn’t displayed in Windows Explorer, because either the embedded cover or the embedded padding is too big to handle.

Mp3tag v3.23

2023-11-03

Modernized Dialogs and Larger Default Font

I’ve modernized various dialogs and increased the default font size in all dialogs and windows. Some users had difficulty seeing the texts and labels and it was one of the more common feedback. There is always the option to increase the text and layout scaling in Windows, but I think having a slightly larger default font plays very well with this setting.

Improvements in Web Sources Framework

I’ve also added various improvements to the Web Sources Framework, something you will most likely notice only indirectly, by using one of the Tag Sources that makes use of the new features and fixes.

Mp3tag v3.22a

2023-09-19

Updated to libwebp 1.3.2

I’ve updated the external library libwebp used by Mp3tag to version 1.3.2, which includes a security fix for lossless decoder (CVE-2023-4863).

Mp3tag v3.22

2023-08-24

Configuration Settings for Tag Sources

This feature was a huge undertaking. It allows Tag Sources Developers to define configuration settings for their Tag Sources, which, in turn, are used by Mp3tag to both generate a configuration dialog and in the Tag Source itself. This means no more manual editing of Tag Sources, which was both tedious to keep updated and prone to errors. I’ve added lots of documentation to get you started.

Checkbox fields on Tag Panel

It’s now possible to define checkbox fields to the Tag Panel. This can be useful for certain fields where the only valid input is 1, e.g., for COMPILATION and PODCAST. I’ve also added a new Type-selector, which now lists the different supported field types Text, Check, and Multiline.

The focus was clearly on Tag Sources with this release. The Web Sources Framework got many new JSON-related functions, which should make developing JSON-based Tag Sources a breeze (or at least more like that).

Mp3tag v3.21

2023-05-26

Redo

The new Redo menu and toolbar item allows for redoing the last undone operation. It can prove helpful if you need to inspect and compare the effects of specific operations or when you simply realize that the thing you’ve just undid was actually exactly what you wanted.

Repeat

Repeat allows for, well, repeating the last action or action group. If you have a lot of action groups and don’t want to navigate through the menus or simply want to apply the last used action to a new set of files, this new feature becomes handy.

Please note that this new features shares the same menu item, toolbar item, and keyboard shortcut with the Redo feature.

Detecting installed versions with different architecture 32-bit/64-bit

This new version detects if you’re updating using a different architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) than the version currently installed. If so, the installer prompts you to either uninstall the current version and install or update using the matching installer.

Mp3tag v3.20

2023-03-31

Tag Panel Field Sizes

The Tag Panel now has new field sizes, allowing you to choose from Full, Larger, Large, Medium, Small, Smaller, and Tiny. This makes it possible to pack a lot of information in the available space and to make this area of Mp3tag even more personal and fitting to your needs.

Import and Export of Custom List Values

Configuring Custom List Values on the Tag Panel can become tedious if the list of values to be added is quite long. It’s now possible to import lists of composers, genres, or countries from text files. Exporting is also possible, so you can create a backup or share your lists.

Consolidated User-defined Genres into Custom List Values

The option to add user-defined genres is now also part of the Custom List Values for the Tag Panel. While it was convenient to have it as a separate section in the configuration options, it makes more sense to have it treated the same as the rest of the fields.

Mp3tag v3.19

2023-01-27

Extended Auto-Numbering Wizard

The Auto-Numbering Wizard now supports moving on to the next disc and, thus, resetting the track counter when a field changes its value. It also adds the option to reset the disc counter so that this wizard can now run over sets of discs that are not related to each other. All by preserving the functionality that was already there.

Cleanup in Menus and Configuration Settings

The configuration settings can now be found at File → Options… and the auto-numbering wizard at Convert → Auto-numbering wizard…. The Tools main menu has been retired.

The configuration setting to preserve timestamps of modified files has been moved to the General section, the setting to display grid lines in the file view now resides under Appearance.

Improved handling of Configuration Data when uninstalling

The uninstaller now uses a checkbox to explicitly enable removing of configuration data. Previously, a confirmation dialog popped up which was sometimes confirmed by mistake.

Mp3tag v3.18

2022-09-29

Custom List Values on Tag Panel

You can now configure custom list values per field on the Tag Panel. It allows, e.g., for defining a list of composer names to ensure consistent naming. Or a list of country names or languages if you’re storing those. It’s still possible to see the values of the selected files if you prefer that, but an empty field on the Tag Panel now always offers the custom values (if set) from the drop-down list.

Technical information field %_id3v2_unknown_frames%

This new information field is set to 1 if the ID3v2 tag of the file contains any of the ID3v2 frames not supported by Mp3tag, e.g., PRIV or SYLT. You can remove those frames by cutting the tag via Ctrl+X and pasting it back via Ctrl+V.

Please note, if you’re using the Library feature, you’d either need to force-reload the tags of the files via File → Read Tag or Ctrl+T or start with a fresh library to see the newly added field.

This field can also be used with the Filter or as a dedicated column in Mp3tag’s File List.

Mp3tag v3.17

2022-07-29

Configuration option to set startup folder to empty, previous, or favorite

You can now specify the startup behavior of Mp3tag. Empty starts with an empty File List. Previous starts with the folder which was loaded the last time you’ve used Mp3tag. Favorite lets you choose a explicit folder that is loaded on startup.

Contextual cover operations available via Edit → Cover

The various operations that handle cover art were always available via the context menu on the cover window — but only to those who know and can see the cover. This new menu entry on the main menu makes cover handling more accessible and possible to use via keyboard only.

Configuration option to prefer genres from tags in the list at Tag Panel

The genre field was always special among the default fields and always listed the standard genres also when selecting multiple files. This new option now enables listing genres from tags — and shows the standard genres only if the files don’t have a genre set.

Selection and rearranging of multiple actions in action group edit dialog

A relief for everyone working with large action groups — Mp3tag’s way of allowing for repeatable workflows. The edit dialog now offers rearranging of multiple actions via keyboard and even via drag&drop.

Mp3tag v3.16

2022-05-30

This version is a maintenance release that fixes some issues that were reported after the previous release.

Mp3tag v3.15

2022-05-24

Support for 64-bit

Mp3tag now comes in two versions, the existing 32-bit and a new 64-bit version. To make it short, there should not be any noticeable differences except for one thing:

Mp3tag 64-bit can only be installed on 64-bit versions of Windows. The recommended path is to uninstall the 32-bit version before upgrading — the uninstaller has an option to keep your configuration settings, but please backup your configuration settings via File → Save configuration anyway.

Management of Filter Expressions

I’ve added an option to manage the list of filter expressions via the Manage history… item of the Filter Helper menu. This also allows for named filters, favorite filters for quick access, and the possibility to add descriptions for filters.

Management of Format Strings

Similar to the filter expressions, I’ve added an option to manage the list of format strings at converters Tag - Filename, Filename - Tag, Text file - Tag, and Tag - Tag via the Manage history… item of the Format String Helper menu. It also allows for named format strings, favorite format strings for quick access, and the possibility to add descriptions for format strings.

Mp3tag v3.14

2022-03-29

This version is a maintenance release that fixes regressions from the previous release.

Mp3tag v3.13

2022-03-24

Revised Tag Sources Confirmation Dialog

I’ve completely (almost!) revised the confirmation dialog that shows the metadata result when importing via any of the Tag Sources (e.g., Discogs or MusicBrainz). It now allows for selecting which fields to import via checkboxes, also for the cover, and provides a better overview of track-specific and album-specific metadata.

Revised Documentation

This is the thing you’re currently looking at! I’ve rewritten and updated most of the existing help files and published them here.

Revised Tag Sources

I’ve also revised the Tag Sources for Discogs and MusicBrainz, which now use CATALOGNUMBER for the catalog number. The MusicBrainz Tag Source now also imports BARCODE and ISRC — all of which can be easily disabled by the new methods I’ve outlined above.

Improved Sorting Performance

Sorting the File List is now significantly faster. It’s most notably for large libraries, but also much snappier when you’re sorting smaller sets of files.

Mp3tag v3.12

2022-01-21

Microsoft Store version with context menu

The Microsoft Store version now also comes with a Explorer context-menu extension so that there should be no real differences between the Store version and the standalone version anymore.

MusicBrainz Cover Size

Album covers imported from MusicBrainz can be quite large in their original size (up to several MB). I’ve now added an configuration option at Options → Tag Sources to choose the size from 250px, 500px, 1200px, and Original.

Open in Windows File Explorer

It’s now possible to open files in Explorer from within Mp3tag. This was previously only possible via a user-defined tool at File → Options... → Tools and is now officially built-in — including file selection in Explorer.

Mp3tag v3.11

2021-10-29

Cover preview on the Tag Panel

It can be difficult to inspect the quality and details of the embedded cover directly from the cover window of the Tag Panel. To alleviate this, I’ve added a larger cover preview available via double click on the cover on the Tag Panel.

Icon in Windows Explorer context menu

A long-standing feature wish for many: Mp3tag’s Explorer context-menu entry now has an icon and is easier to recognize.

Windows 11 context menu

The new Windows 11 Explorer context menu caught many by surprise. Existing context menu extensions were only available via a Show more options… entry, which meant an extra indirection to something that’s supposed to speed up interaction.
I’ve now implemented all the extra steps that are necessary to appear in the top-level context menu and things should be back to comfortable again.

Mp3tag v3.10

2021-09-25

Option to choose Color Mode

Mp3tag now offers the option to choose the color mode independent from the system setting. At Options → Appearance → Color Mode you can choose between Dark, Light, and Default.

Mp3tag v3.09

2021-09-17

Dark Mode

Mp3tag is now using a dark theme if the Windows 10 color setting at Settings → Personalization → Colors is set to Dark.

Windows 11

The next version of Windows is about to be released and I’ve used several of the insider previews to make Mp3tag work nicely with Windows 11 and make a possible update a smooth ride. However, if you find any quirk or think you’ve found a bug please let me know.

Updated Code-Signing Certificate

I’ve updated the code-signing certificate that is used to digitally sign and verify the origin and integrity of Mp3tag’s installer and executable.

Mp3tag v3.08

2021-07-23

Usability improvements for Tag Panel

Maybe it also happened to you: you started filling the fields on the Tag Panel and only later noticed that no file was selected yet. Selecting one file then replaced what was entered with what was read from the selected file — not ideal and sometimes a reason for frustration. This is a thing of the past, because the fields on the Tag Panel are now only enabled if at least one file is selected.

Usability improvements regarding unsaved changes

Mp3tag provides means to automatically save any changes when the selection changes (it can be enabled in the options at Options → Tags. But not everybody wants that and if the option is disabled, any unsaved changes were discarded on selection change. This is also not happening anymore: I’ve added a confirmation question if the Tag Panel contains unsaved changes and auto-saving is not enabled.

Mp3tag v3.07

2021-05-21

Support for editing cover art for Matroska MKA/MKV

This took some time and Mp3tag is finally able to also edit (and not only display) cover art for Matroska MKA/MKV files. Matroska is one of the most complex tagging specs I’ve worked with, so I’m especially happy that editing image attachments to the container is now possible.

Support for WebP image format

The WebP image format is by no means standard at this point. The recommended formats for embedded cover art are still JPG and PNG. However, many online sources and people are using this modern image format and I wanted to at least give the option with Mp3tag. You can even use Mp3tag to convert from WebP to JPG or PNG. A modern and recommended player with WebP support is foobar2000.

I’ve extended the list of supported MP4 metadata fields that are related to iTunes and Apple Music:

Mp3tag v3.06

2021-03-26

Retry for Tag Sources

If no results are returned for a certain search at Tag Sources, it’s now possible to retry and having the previous query already filled in. No more entering the same information twice (or trice!).
I’ve also added the option to retry for error case, e.g., when the internet connection of the servers are flaky.

Option to disable auto-sizing of columns in Tag Source results

So far, the column width for Tag Sources results has been decided based on the content that was returned from the query. While it always displays the full content, it also means that some columns are outside the dialog width and scrolling is needed. You can now disable the auto-sizing of column via the context menu of the column header.

Undo via Ctrl+Z in Tag Panel fields

This was quite some time in the making (I’ve received the first bug report on that back in Jan 2014). You can now undo text entry in Tag Panel fields without undoing the last tag-write or rename operation.

Actions and Tag Sources available via context menu

The file list context menu now also has the Actions and Tag Sources available via submenus. Sometimes it’s just faster to trigger them from the context menu.

Mp3tag v3.05

2021-01-28

Action to set cover properties

This version adds a new action type Set cover properties which allows for editing the cover description and the cover type (front, back, …) via Quick Actions or from within action groups.

Adjust cover for varying covers

So far, adjusting covers in size and image type directly from the cover window was only possible if all selected files had the same embedded cover art. This version adds support for directly adjusting covers for files with different covers.

Mp3tag v3.04

2020-11-27

Performance improvements

This version adds various improvements to make reading MP3 and MP4 files (especially MP4s with chapters) even more performant. Also, the process of selecting large amounts of files (all file formats) is more snappy with this new version.

Album artists from MusicBrainz

This version adds support for importing album artist information from MusicBrainz. MusicBrainz also has become my favorite tag source in Mp3tag over time. It has all the information I need, usually with great accuracy and excellent data quality.

Randomize sorting

If you ever wanted to create a playlist with tracks in randomized order, you’ve either used Mp3tag’s hidden feature to randomize the file list or resorted to manual ordering. This feature is not hidden anymore but available now via View → Sort By → Randomize.

Mp3tag v3.03

2020-10-02

Improvements for Action Groups

This version adds various improvements for the action groups dialog. You can now select, enable, and move multiple action groups at once and have quick means for working with action groups via various newly added keyboard shortcuts. Furthermore, I’ve added a new indicator that shows how many action groups are currently enabled and added support for sorting of action groups.

Mp3tag v3.02

2020-07-11

Support for alternative freedb servers

The current operator of the public freedb servers announced to stop its services as of March 31, 2020. I’ve now added alternative freedb servers to Mp3tag, so that the freedb feature should be working again. Furthermore, I’ve added support for the web-based search of gnudb.org.

If you’re unsure about data quality from freedb or can’t find newest using one of the alternative servers, I can only recommend to use MusicBrainz. It’s a high-quality alternative to freedb and is officially supported by Mp3tag.

Mp3tag v3.01

2020-03-27

Support for the WebM file format

This new version adds support for the WebM file format (file extension .webm), a container format that is mainly used for video in the context of the web.

Feature “Adjust cover” to resize cover art

I’ve added the feature “Adjust cover”, which I’ve introduced as action with the previous release, to the right-click context-menu of the cover art window.

Availability of freedb servers

The current operator of the public freedb servers announced to stop its services as of March 31, 2020. I’ve decided to not remove the freedb feature from Mp3tag for now, because it could be that alternative servers emerge from this situation.
If not, I can only recommend to use MusicBrainz. It’s a high-quality alternative to freedb and is officially supported by Mp3tag.

Mp3tag v3.00

2020-01-23

Action “Adjust cover” to resize cover art

Many hardware players have certain limitations on the size of cover art and then it’s sometimes just nice to scale down this 10000x10000 cover to a reasonable size. You can also use this action type to convert from JPEG to PNG or vice versa. It’s quite handy and I hope it improves your workflow.

MusicBrainz tag sources with multiple search criteria

The MusicBrainz tag source now also offers two distinct search fields for album and artist and adds support for MUSICBRAINZ_RELEASEGROUPID along the way.

I’ve reworked most of the menu-drawing code in high-contrast modes so that it is now more in line with the native menus that the various supported versions of Windows are providing. Also, some buttons and menus were not accessible to screen readers ‐ if you’re noticing something like that, please let me know.

Archive of selected release notes prior to Mp3tag v3.00.