Save text file in UTF-8 encoding using cmd.exe

Question

Is it possible to save a text file in UTF-8 encoding using Windows' command line cmd.exe?

Current I'm creating the text file using command redirection operators:

C:\Windows\system32\ipconfig /all >> output.log

I start with > to get a new file and then I use >> to append more information.

If you are using I/O redirection operators, then it's not up to the shell what the character encoding of the data is. It's up to the command whose output is redirected. If that command produces valid UTF-8, that's what will end up in the file. — Celada, May 17 '13 at 00:29
It doesn't. Like all console mode programs, it generates text in the default 8-bit code page encoding that's active for the console. Which you change to utf-8 with chcp 65001. You still won't get a BOM. — Hans Passant, May 17 '13 at 10:03

score 49 · Answer 1 · edited Jun 15 '15 at 00:33

49

The default encoding for command prompt is Windows-1252. Change the code page (chcp command) to 65001 (UTF-8) first and then run your command.

chcp 65001
C:\Windows\system32\ipconfig /all >> output.log

Change it back to default when done.

chcp 1252

edited Jun 15 '15 at 00:33

SLaks

answered Aug 06 '13 at 18:39

rchn

[Here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_page) are some other code that may be useful – Lord ST Oct 31 '15 at 21:55
1252 might not be the default codepage. The OEM codepage is the default. – Anders Feb 11 '17 at 14:55

Martin Prikryl · Answer 2 · 2018-03-04T13:21:36.677

4

As the existing answer says, in a batch file, you can use the chcp command

chcp 65001 > nul
some_command > file

But if you are using the cmd.exe from its command line, e.g. to execute a user-defined command, you can use this syntax:

cmd.exe /c chcp 65001 > nul & cmd.exe /c some_command > file

edited Mar 04 '18 at 13:21

answered Oct 11 '16 at 13:47

Martin Prikryl

2 Answers2