---
name: "cvtenc"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "gnustep-base"
version: "1.31.1-3"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/cvtenc"
---

# cvtenc(1)

file encoding converter

## NAME

cvtenc - file encoding converter

## SYNOPSIS

**cvtenc** \[**-Encoding** *encoding*\] \[**-EscapeIn** *yes\|NO*\] \[**-EscapeOut** *yes\|NO*\]\
  *filename*

## DESCRIPTION

Converts a file encoded in a specified or default non-unicode encoding to unicode (UTF16), or, if the file is already in unicode, converts it to a specified or default non-unicode encoding. The converted text is printed to standard out. If the filename is a hyphen then this tool reads from standard input.

## OPTIONS

- **-Encoding** *encoding*

  Specify non-unicode encoding to be used.  The direction of conversion depends on whether the file given as input is recognized as unicode (from the higher order bytes).  To get a list of available encodings, enter "list" for the encoding.  If this is not specified, the default encoding for the current locale is used.

- **-EscapeIn** *YES\|NO*

  Specify '-EscapeIn YES' (the default is 'NO') to parse the input for \\u escape sequences (as in property lists).

- **-EscapeOut** *YES\|NO*

  Specify '-EscapeOut YES' (the default is 'NO') to generate \\u escape sequences (as in property lists) in the output.  Note, this might produce unexpected results for some encodings.

- **-Unicode** *IN\|OUT*

  Specify '-Unicode IN' (or '-Unicode OUT') to control the direction of conversion rather than having the tool guess it on the basis of the content it reads.  Using '-Unicode IN' means that the tool reads UTF16 data and writes C-String data, while using '-Unicode OUT' merans that the tool reads C-String data and writes UTF16 data.

## HISTORY

Written in 2002. Minr update in 2010.

This manual page first appeared in gnustep-base 1.9.2 (March 2004).

## AUTHORS

**cvtenc** was written by Richard Frith-Macdonald \<rfm@gnu.org\>