Setting the default Java character encoding

Question

How do I properly set the default character encoding used by the JVM (1.5.x) programmatically?

I have read that -Dfile.encoding=whatever used to be the

Answer 1

I'm using Amazon (AWS) Elastic Beanstalk and successfully changed it to UTF-8.

In Elastic Beanstalk, go to Configuration > Software, "Environment properties". Add (name) JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS with (value) -Dfile.encoding=UTF8

After saving, the environment will restart with the UTF-8 encoding.

Answer 2

Solve this problem in my project. Hope it helps someone.

I use LIBGDX java framework and also had this issue in my android studio project. In Mac OS encoding is correct, but in Windows 10 special characters and symbols and also russian characters show as questions like: ????? and other incorrect symbols.

1. Change in android studio project settings: File->Settings...->Editor-> File Encodings to UTF-8 in all three fields (Global Encoding, Project Encoding and Default below).

2. In any java file set:

   System.setProperty("file.encoding","UTF-8");

3. And for test print debug log:

   System.out.println("My project encoding is : "+ Charset.defaultCharset());

Answer 3

From the JVM™ Tool Interface documentation…

Since the command-line cannot always be accessed or modified, for example in embedded VMs or simply VMs launched deep within scripts, a JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS variable is provided so that agents may be launched in these cases.

By setting the (Windows) environment variable JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS to -Dfile.encoding=UTF8, the (Java) System property will be set automatically every time a JVM is started. You will know that the parameter has been picked up because the following message will be posted to System.err:

Picked up JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS: -Dfile.encoding=UTF8

Answer 4

We set there two system properties together and it makes the system take everything into utf8

file.encoding=UTF8
client.encoding.override＝UTF-8

Answer 5

My team encountered the same issue in machines with Windows.. then managed to resolve it in two ways:

a) Set enviroment variable (even in Windows system preferences)

JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS
-Dfile.encoding=UTF8

b) Introduce following snippet to your pom.xml:

 -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8 

WITHIN

 <jvmArguments>
 -Xdebug -Xrunjdwp:transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=n,address=8001
 -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8
 </jvmArguments>