Session and utilities

The iconv command

Converts text between character encodings, for example from UTF-8 to ASCII or Latin-1.

Syntax

iconv -f ORIGEN -t DESTINO [archivo]

Most useful options

-fSource encoding
-tTarget encoding
-lLists the available encodings

Copy-ready examples

$ printf 'abc\n' > i.txt && iconv -f UTF-8 -t ASCII i.txtConvert to ASCII

You can try them in the browser terminal: it does not touch your computer.

Typical mistakes

  • If the target does not support a character (for example an ñ in ASCII), it can be lost or error.

Related commands

dos2unixfilelocale

FAQ

When is iconv needed?

When a file shows odd characters because it has another encoding.

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