Use Right Encoding
Encoding is the way different characters are stored in your files. You have to use compatible encoding for your system.
WordPad or Notepad on Windows is broken and causes issues, please do not use them!
Our plugin saves files like settings.yml in a format called UTF-8. You must use this encoding, especially if you are using characters like smileys, symbols or non-English characters in your files.
If you're experiencing unicode letters turned into garbage, even when regenerating files clean, try using the following flag in your server starting parameters:
-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8
Example:
On Windows, using Notepad++ for editing your configuration is strongly recommended. It's extremely lightweight, tiny and loads up lightning fast.
Most Windows systems accept the UTF-8 (without BOM) encoding (see the green circle at the image for your current encoding). ANSI does not support unicode and may break files. You may need to play around to find what encoding works. Yes I am still using Windows 7 in 2025, don't lament about it.
Important: On some machines, unicode (smileys, icons, special letters) simply won't work and turn into garbage regardless your efforts. Unfortunately this is an operating system problem.
We recommend using Sublime Text for altering files. It will detect and use the right encoding automatically. You don't have to move a finger!
