What's the best tag editor for editing metadata information?

You can use the built-in media player to edit tag information for audio files. This is the best free tag editor you can try on Windows.

My own experience with similar programs is that while they often handle basic tagging and batch processing well, they can fall short in a few key areas:

- Sometimes, the tag editing options feel a bit rigid.  You might want to do something really specific with your tags (like changing artist names in a non-standard way, or adding really niche fields) and find TagScanner's interface just...doesn't let you do it easily.  A best tag editor should let you fine-tune the tagging process, not just handle a few common formats.

- If you've got a seriously massive music collection,  batch processing can take a long time.  Some best tag editors struggle with speed in those cases, especially if they aren't built with larger datasets in mind.   You might sit staring at the screen while it works, which gets annoying.

- While they often support many formats, there might be oddball audio files or obscure metadata fields that TagScanner just can't handle perfectly.  Some tag editors might require manual fixes in those cases, which isn't ideal.

You can consider the following aspects when choosing the best tag editor no matter you are using it on a PC or Mac.

User Interface

​​Ease of Use​​: The interface should be intuitive and user - friendly. You don't want to spend a lot of time figuring out how to perform basic operations.

​​Customization​​: Some editors allow you to customize the layout, views, and shortcuts according to your preferences.

Reliability and Performance

​​Stability​​: The tag editor should run smoothly without crashing or causing errors during tag editing operations.
​​Speed​​: When dealing with a large number of files, the tag editor should be able to process them quickly.

Support and Updates

​​Customer Support​​: Check if the tag editing software provider offers reliable customer support, such as email support, forums, or live chat.

​​Updates​​: Regular updates are important as they can fix bugs, add new features, and improve compatibility with new file formats and operating systems.

ExifTool is indeed a powerhouse for handling metadata, but it’s not without its quirks and drawbacks, especially if you’re on the hunt for the best tag editor. Here are some thoughts based on my experience and general user feedback:

• If you’re not a fan of the command line, ExifTool can feel pretty intimidating. It’s not like clicking through a user-friendly GUI where you can just point, click, and edit. You need to remember commands and syntax, which can be a headache for someone who isn’t tech-savvy or just wants to quickly tag some files.
• When you run commands, the feedback is often a bit cryptic if you’re not familiar with what you’re looking at. It’s not always clear what went wrong if something doesn’t work as expected, which can lead to frustration.
• Unlike some GUI editors, you won’t get a real-time preview of your edits. If you’re making batch edits, you just have to trust that it’s working without seeing instant updates on what you've changed.
• If you’re just looking to edit tags here and there, or need something quick and easy, ExifTool might feel like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. There are simpler best tag editor out there that can do the job without all the heavy lifting.
• ExifTool is just about the metadata. If you're also looking to manage files, organize folders, or perform batch renaming alongside tagging, you’ll need to pair it with another tool or do everything separately.

There are several best tag editors available that can help you manage metadata for image and audio files effectively on both Windows and Mac. Here are some of the best tag editor you can try:

1. Kid3:
Kid3 supports a wide range of audio formats and allows you to edit tags easily. It can handle ID3v1 and ID3v2 tags for MP3 files, and it also supports Vorbis comments for FLAC files. It has a simple interface suitable for both beginners and advanced users.

2. ExifTool:
ExifTool is a powerful command-line tool for reading, writing, and editing metadata in a variety of file types, including images and audio files. While it requires some command-line knowledge to use effectively, it is extremely versatile and comprehensive for metadata management.

3. TagScanner.
TagScanner is a multi-functional program for organizing and managing your music collection. It supports various audio formats and offers batch processing, making it a powerful tool for editing tags and metadata.

Each of these tag editors has its own set of features, so you may want to try a few of them to see which one best meets your needs. If you're primarily working with audio files, Kid3 is particularly recommended. If you need a comprehensive best tag editor that works for both images and audio, ExifTool and MusicBrainz Picard are excellent choices.

Mp3tag is a completely free tag editor for Windows platform, which supports MP3, FLAC and other audio formats and ID3v1, MP4 and other metadata types, and is compatible with all versions of Windows 11-7. It is powerful, the installation package is about 4MB, you can batch edit, import metadata from the online database. This is one of the best tag editors for Windows PC or Mac. And it is suitable for all kinds of music library organization, it is one of the popular free label editing tools for Windows. 

1. Open a browser tab and go to the official website.

2. Tap File>Add Directory, select the music folder, the main interface will show the list of songs and existing tags, you can also add the year, track number and other fields via View>Customize Column. 

3. Tap the target song in the list, the left side label panel will show the metadata. Edit the fields of Title, Artist, etc., add a local JPG/PNG album cover with less than 500KB in the Cover area, input or paste lyrics in the Lyrics field, and then tap Save button when you are done.

4. Press F5 to refresh the Mp3tag list and check if the tags are updated. Open the song in the player and make sure the title, artist, cover and lyrics are displayed correctly. You can also right click on the song in File Explorer and select Properties > Details to make sure the metadata is embedded.

Disadvantages: This free tag editor doesn't have a built-in music player, so you have to rely on an external player to verify the label effect, you have to be connected to the Internet to use the online database import function, and it only supports embedding static lyrics, so you can't edit synchronized lyrics directly.

AudioTag.info is free online tag editor that works through your browser, no installation required. It supports uploading MP3 and other audio files to edit ID3 tags, and can match metadata from MusicBrainz to fix single song tags. Fast file processing and does not store user data, safer, but requires Internet connection, it is recommended to upload files smaller than 50MB, suitable for temporary editing of a small amount, not suitable for batch operation or management of a large music library. 

Step 1. Visit AudioTag.info

Visit the official website from a web browser. The main interface displays The main interface shows the "Select File" button, no need to register or login.

Step 2. Upload music files

1. Drag and drop MP3 files to the upload area (MP3, M4A, WAV supported). 
2. Wait for the upload to complete (recommended <50MB).
3. To protect your privacy, avoid uploading sensitive audio files.

Step 3. Edit ID3 tags

1. After uploading, the website displays the current tags (Title, Artist, Album, Genre, etc.).
2. Click on the field (Title) and enter new information.
3. Click on the cover and select a local JPG/PNG file (recommended <500KB).
4. After saving, click the “Download” button to save the new MP3 file locally. Replace the original file with the new one.

For me, this is the best tag editor I have ever used for editing mp3 tag information. You can also edit metadata from other file types!