VS Code Changed All Code to Weird Chars? Don’t Panic, It’s an Encoding Issue!

Are you staring at a screen full of gibberish in VS Code, wondering what sorcery caused your beautiful code to turn into a mess of weird characters? Fear not, dear developer, for you’re not alone. This frustrating phenomenon is often caused by an encoding issue, and we’re here to guide you through the troubleshooting process.

What’s an Encoding Issue?

Before we dive into the fixes, let’s quickly discuss what encoding is and why it’s essential in coding. Encoding refers to the way characters are represented in a file using a specific character set and byte order. The most common encoding types are UTF-8, UTF-16, and ASCII.

In a perfect world, all files would use the same encoding, and life would be peachy. However, different operating systems, editors, and even developers might use different encoding types, leading to conflicts and, you guessed it, weird characters galore!

Symptoms of an Encoding Issue in VS Code

Before we get to the solutions, let’s identify the common symptoms of an encoding issue in VS Code:

• Strange characters replace regular characters in your code.
• Text appears distorted, with awkward spacing or alignment.
• Characters are displayed as rectangular blocks or question marks.
• File encoding is not explicitly specified, leading to ambiguity.

Troubleshooting Steps to Resolve the Encoding Issue

Now that we’ve covered the what and why, let’s get to the how. Follow these steps to resolve the encoding issue in VS Code:

Step 1: Check the File Encoding

In VS Code, click on the encoding indicator in the status bar (usually at the bottom-right corner of the window). This will display the current file encoding.

encoding: UTF-8 (or whatever encoding is displayed)

If the encoding is not what you expected, proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Change the File Encoding

In the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac), type “Change File Encoding” and select the desired encoding from the dropdown list.

    {
        "files.encoding": "utf8"
    }

Alternatively, you can add the files.encoding setting to your User Settings or Workspace Settings file.

Step 3: Verify the File’s Byte Order Mark (BOM)

A Byte Order Mark (BOM) is a sequence of bytes at the beginning of a file that indicates the encoding. To check for a BOM in VS Code:

1. Open the Command Palette and type “Reveal in Explorer” (Windows) or “Reveal in Finder” (Mac) to open the file in its containing folder.

2. Right-click the file and select “Properties” (Windows) or “Get Info” (Mac).

3. Look for the “File format” or “Encoding” section. If a BOM is present, it will be indicated.

4. If no BOM is present, you can add one manually. In VS Code, click on the “Save with Encoding” button in the status bar and select the desired encoding with a BOM (e.g., “UTF-8 with BOM”).

Step 4: Check for Conflicting Editor Settings

Other editors or IDEs might have different default encoding settings that can cause conflicts. To avoid this:

1. Verify the encoding settings in other editors or IDEs you’ve used to edit the file.

2. Ensure that all editors and IDEs are configured to use the same encoding (e.g., UTF-8).

Step 5: Clean and Reopen the File

Sometimes, VS Code might get stuck with an incorrect encoding. Try closing and reopening the file, or even restarting VS Code.

Step 6: Use the “reopen with encoding” Command

In the Command Palette, type “Reopen with Encoding” and select the correct encoding from the dropdown list.

    {
        "reopenWithEncoding": "utf8"
    }

This command will reopen the file with the specified encoding, effectively overriding any previous encoding settings.

Preventing Future Encoding Issues in VS Code

To avoid future encoding headaches, follow these best practices:

1. Specify the encoding explicitly: When creating a new file, ensure that the encoding is explicitly set to UTF-8 or your preferred encoding.
2. Use the same encoding across editors and IDEs: Ensure consistency in encoding settings across all editors and IDEs you use.
3. Save files with a BOM: Including a BOM in your files can help other editors and IDEs correctly detect the encoding.
4. Regularly clean and reopen files: Periodically clean and reopen files to ensure that VS Code is using the correct encoding.

Encoding Type	Description	Character Set	Byte Order Mark (BOM)
UTF-8	Unicode Transformation Format – 8-bit	Unicode	EF BB BF
UTF-16	Unicode Transformation Format – 16-bit	Unicode	FE FF or FF FE
ASCII	American Standard Code for Information Interchange	Latin-1	N/A

Conclusion

Encoding issues in VS Code can be frustrating, but with these troubleshooting steps and best practices, you’ll be well-equipped to handle them. Remember to always specify the encoding explicitly, use the same encoding across editors and IDEs, and save files with a BOM to avoid future encoding headaches.

Happy coding, and may the encoding forces be with you!

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Frequently Asked Question

Oh no, VS Code has gone rogue on me! What’s going on with these weird characters taking over my code?