Make sure your music files display the correct information
1 Bulk editing
Use the options here to quickly edit the relevant tag(s) across all currently selected tracks.
2 Switch artwork
Any embedded artwork appears here – click ‘<’ and ‘>’ to move between multiple images if relevant.
3 File list
A list of the files inside any folders you’ve opened or added via the File menu are shown here.
4 Quick Actions
Mp3tag includes several handy tools to automate certain tasks – click one to open a dialog box.
IT WILL TAKE
15 minutes
YOU WILL LEARN
How to tag audio files automatically and manually
YOU’LL NEED
Mp3tag (£24.99), macOS 10.14 or later
This clever toolX# makes it easy to track down the correct tags for your files
If you’ve ever felt frustrated by the way your music collection is displayed in the Music app or by your media server, Mp3tag can help. The app makes it easy to track down the correct tags for files – from artist, album and track names to composers – along with suitable artwork, such as album covers or photos of the artist. This info is then embedded into your files in the form of ‘metadata’ that can be displayed in your music player, not just for show but to aid navigation.
Tags and artwork can be manually added, or you can instruct Mp3tag to search major online databases like Discogs and MusicBrainz to find and insert the information and images you need in double-quick time. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to do both, plus reveal some of Mp3tag’s time-saving tools to help speed up the tagging process.
Getting started
You can download a free seven-day trial of Mp3tag from mp3tag.app – this is more generous than it sounds, because you can trial the program on seven non-consecutive days, so the clock doesn’t start ticking from the moment you first launch it. Once the trial expires, you can purchase the full version for £24.99 (either from the mp3tag website or from the Mac App Store).
Once you’ve downloaded Mp3tag, doubleclick the Zip file to extract the program itself, then copy it into the Applications folder and launch it. Click Open followed by Continue Trial when prompted and you’re ready to start using the program proper.
HOW TO Tag your files with Mp3tag
1 Add tracks
Open the File menu and choose Open. You can browse to a folder containing your music and click Open to add all the tracks inside, or simply select a single file and click Open. Choose File > Add to add more files/folders in this way.
2 Access search engines
The files will be listed in the main window – any metadata currently embedded into the
