Mp3tag
Mp3tag is a free metadata editor for audio files by Florian Heidenreich. It edits tags (title, artist, album, year, genre, album art) in MP3, FLAC, OGG, AAC, WMA, WAV, APE, and OPUS files. The main strength is batch editing - select hundreds of files and change their tags in one operation. It runs on Windows natively, with a separate paid version for macOS.
What it does
Drop a folder of music files onto the main window and Mp3tag reads all their tags instantly. The left panel shows editable fields for the selected files. Change any field, press Ctrl+S, and tags are written to every selected file at once. This is how you fix an album where the artist name is misspelled or the genre is wrong.
The Tag Sources feature (Ctrl+Shift+I) connects to online databases like MusicBrainz and Discogs. Select your files, search by album name, and Mp3tag pulls down the correct track titles, artist info, year, and album art automatically. The Convert menu handles renaming: Tag to Filename (Alt+1) renames files based on their tags using patterns like %artist% - %title%, while Filename to Tag (Alt+2) does the reverse.
For power users, Actions (Alt+6) let you chain operations - case conversion, find and replace, regex formatting, and auto-numbering - into reusable presets.
Advantages
- Free for personal and commercial use on Windows
- Batch editing handles hundreds of files at once
- Auto-tagging from MusicBrainz and Discogs saves manual work
- Supports every common audio format (MP3, FLAC, OGG, AAC, WAV, OPUS)
Drawbacks
- Windows only for the free version - macOS version is paid
- No built-in audio playback or preview
- The interface can feel overwhelming for someone tagging just a few files
- Online database matching sometimes returns wrong results for compilations or obscure releases
Who it is for
I use Mp3tag every time I add music to my local library. If you have a large collection of audio files with messy or missing tags, this is the fastest way to fix them. For people who only stream music, this program has no use. MusicBrainz Picard is a free alternative that does automatic tagging but with less manual control.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mp3tag free?
What audio formats does Mp3tag support?
Can Mp3tag automatically fetch tags from the internet?
Can Mp3tag rename files based on tags?
Features & How-To Guide
| # | Feature | How to use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Batch audio tag editing | Select files in the main window › Edit the fields (title/artist/album) in the panel on the left › Ctrl+S to save the tags. |
| 2 | Automatic tag download from online databases | Select files › Click Tag Sources (Ctrl+Shift+I) › Choose a database (MusicBrainz/Discogs/freedb) › Search for the album › Apply. |
| 3 | Album cover embedding | Select files › Tag Sources › Choose a database › Select the cover › Or manually: drag an image onto the Cover Art field in the tag panel. |
| 4 | Multiple audio format support | Opens MP3/FLAC/OGG/AAC/WMA/WAV/APE/OPUS - drag a folder onto the Mp3tag window or use File › Add Directory. |
| 5 | File rename based on tags | Select files › Convert › Tag - Filename (Alt+1) › Enter a format, e.g. %artist% - %title% › OK. |
| 6 | Track numbering organization | Select files › Tools › Auto-Numbering Wizard (Ctrl+K) › Set the starting number and format › OK. |
| 7 | Tag creation from filenames | Select files › Convert › Filename - Tag (Alt+2) › Enter a pattern matching the file name, e.g. %artist% - %title% › OK. |
| 8 | Batch actions (advanced tag operations) | Actions › Actions (Quick) (Alt+6) › Choose an action (Case Conversion/Replace/Format Value) › Apply it to the selected files. |
| 9 | Data export to CSV or HTML | File › Export (Ctrl+E) › Choose an export format (CSV/HTML/TXT) › Set the fields to export › Save. |
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