iconv command in MacOS

The MacOS iconv command is a powerful tool to convert text between different character encodings. It can be used to convert files from one encoding to another, change the character set of a file, remove invalid characters, and more. With iconv, users can easily handle text files that use different character encodings, ensuring compatibility and consistency in their projects.

iconv Syntax:

iconv [options] -f encoding -t encoding [inputfile]...

MacOS iconv Options:

Option	Description
-f	Specifies the encoding of the input
-t	Specifies the encoding of the output
-c	Omit invalid characters from output
-s	Suppresses warnings
-o	Specifies the output file
-l	Lists all available encodings

iconv Parameters:

Parameter	Description
inputfile	The file that needs to be converted
encoding	Specifies the character encoding

How to use iconv command:

Convert a file from UTF-8 to ASCII

iconv -f UTF-8 -t ASCII input.txt > output.txt

Converts a text file from UTF-8 encoding to ASCII encoding.

Convert a file from ISO-8859-1 to UTF-8

iconv -f ISO-8859-1 -t UTF-8 input.txt > output.txt

Converts a text file from ISO-8859-1 encoding to UTF-8 encoding.

Convert a file from Windows-1252 to UTF-8

iconv -f WINDOWS-1252 -t UTF-8 input.txt > output.txt

Converts a text file from Windows-1252 encoding to UTF-8 encoding.

Convert a file from UTF-16LE to UTF-8

iconv -f UTF-16LE -t UTF-8 input.txt > output.txt

Converts a text file from UTF-16LE encoding to UTF-8 encoding.

Convert a file from UTF-8 to UTF-16BE

iconv -f UTF-8 -t UTF-16BE input.txt > output.txt

Converts a text file from UTF-8 encoding to UTF-16BE encoding.

Check supported encodings

iconv -l

Lists all the supported encodings by iconv.

Convert a file and ignore characters that cannot be converted

iconv -c -f UTF-8 -t ASCII input.txt > output.txt

Converts a text file from UTF-8 encoding to ASCII encoding, ignoring characters that cannot be converted.

Convert a string directly

echo "Hello World" | iconv -f ASCII -t UTF-8

Converts a string “Hello World” from ASCII encoding to UTF-8 encoding.

Tip

Make sure to always specify the correct input and output encodings when using the iconv command in MacOS. This will ensure that the conversion is done accurately.

iconv Command Troubleshooting Q&A:

{Questions}

How do I use iconv in MacOS?

To use the iconv command in MacOS, execute the following command:

iconv --option <value>

How do I convert a file to a different encoding using iconv in MacOS?

To convert a file to a different encoding using iconv in MacOS, use the following command:

iconv -f <from_encoding> -t <to_encoding> <input_file> > <output_file>

How do I list all available encodings for iconv in MacOS?

To list all available encodings for iconv in MacOS, run the following command:

iconv -l

How do I convert a file from UTF-8 to ASCII using iconv in MacOS?

To convert a file from UTF-8 to ASCII using iconv in MacOS, use the following command:

iconv -f UTF-8 -t ASCII <input_file> > <output_file>

How do I ignore characters that cannot be converted by iconv in MacOS?

To ignore characters that cannot be converted by iconv in MacOS, use the following command:

iconv -c -f <from_encoding> -t <to_encoding> <input_file> > <output_file>

How do I convert a file in MacOS using iconv and append the result to an existing file?

To convert a file in MacOS using iconv and append the result to an existing file, execute the following command:

iconv -f <from_encoding> -t <to_encoding> <input_file> >> <existing_file>

How do I convert a string in MacOS using iconv and display the output in the terminal?

To convert a string in MacOS using iconv and display the output in the terminal, use the following command:

echo "input_string" | iconv -f <from_encoding> -t <to_encoding>

How do I convert multiple files at once using iconv in MacOS?

To convert multiple files at once using iconv in MacOS, you can use a loop in combination with the iconv command. Here is an example command:

for file in *.txt; do iconv -f <from_encoding> -t <to_encoding> "$file" > "$file.converted"; done

How do I convert a file in MacOS using iconv and show the progress of the conversion?

To convert a file in MacOS using iconv and show the progress of the conversion, you can use the pv command in combination with iconv. Here is an example command:

pv input_file | iconv -f <from_encoding> -t <to_encoding> > output_file

Applications of the iconv command

• Convert text from one character encoding to another
• Convert text from a file specified by the path given in the input-file argument
• Convert text from standard input
• Convert text and write the output to a file specified by the path given in the output-file argument
• Display the available character encodings
• Ignore or show warnings for unsupported characters during conversion