You can change the artist name on an MP3 file using free software on Windows or Mac

The artist name on an MP3 file lives in a section called metadata or tags. This is separate from the audio itself — changing it does not alter the song, only the information that appears when you play it. Most music players let you edit these tags directly, and free tag editors work on any computer.

The fastest method depends on what you already have: if you use iTunes, Windows Media Player, or Musicbrainz Picard, you can edit the artist field without installing anything new. If you want a dedicated tool that handles large batches of files at once, MusicBrainz Picard (free, Windows and Mac) or MediaInfo (free, Windows) are the most straightforward options.

Key Takeaways

  • The artist name is stored in the file's metadata tags, not in the audio itself, so changing it does not affect how the song sounds.
  • iTunes, Windows Media Player, and most music apps let you right-click a file and edit the artist field directly without extra software.
  • MusicBrainz Picard is free and works on Windows and Mac, and it can change artist names on dozens of files at once.
  • After you change the artist name, the music player may take a few seconds to refresh and show the new information.

Editing the artist name in iTunes

Open iTunes and find the song in your library. Right-click the file and select Get Info (on Mac) or Properties (on Windows). A window will open with tabs across the top — click the Info tab. You will see a field labeled Artist. Click in that field, delete the current name, and type the new one.

Click OK to save. iTunes writes the change back to the file itself, so the new artist name will appear in any music player that reads the file. If the song still shows the old artist name in your library, right-click it again and select Refresh, or close and reopen iTunes.

Editing the artist name in Windows Media Player

Open Windows Media Player and locate the song. Right-click it and select Edit. A panel will appear on the right side showing the file's information. Click in the Artist field, clear the current text, and type the new artist name. Press Enter to save.

Windows Media Player saves the change to the file immediately. If you are editing a song that is currently playing, stop playback first — some players lock files while they are in use. If the old artist name still appears after you save, close the player completely and reopen it.

Using MusicBrainz Picard for multiple files

If you need to change the artist on many files at once, MusicBrainz Picard is faster than editing one by one. Download it free from musicbrainz.org/downloads. Install it, then open the program and drag your MP3 files into the window, or use File > Add Files.

Each file will appear as a row. Click the artist name in the row to edit it directly, or right-click the file and select Edit Metadata. Change the artist field and click Save. Picard will write the change to all selected files. This method is much faster than opening each file individually if you have dozens of songs to update.

Editing tags in a dedicated tag editor

If you want a tool built specifically for editing metadata, TagScanner (Windows, free) and Tagger (Mac, free) are lightweight options. Download and install the one for your system, then open it and drag your MP3 files into the window.

The artist field will appear in a list or panel. Click it, type the new name, and click Save or press Enter. These tools are simpler than Picard if you only need to change artist names and do not need to look up album information or fix other metadata at the same time.

What to do if the change does not appear

Music players cache metadata in memory, so they sometimes show the old artist name even after you have saved a change. Close the player completely — not just minimize it — and reopen it. The player will re-read the file and show the new information.

If the old name still appears, the file may have multiple metadata formats stored inside it. Some older MP3 files contain both ID3v1 and ID3v2 tags, and different players read different ones. Most modern editors update both automatically, but if you are working with very old files, try opening the file in a different editor to make sure both tag versions are updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does changing the artist name affect the audio quality?

No. The artist name is metadata — information about the file, not part of the audio itself. Changing it does not touch the actual sound data, so the song will play exactly the same way.

Can I change the artist name on files in my phone's music app?

Most phone music apps do not let you edit metadata directly. Download the file to a computer, change the artist name using one of the methods above, and then transfer the updated file back to your phone.

What if I want to change the artist name back to the original?

You can edit it again the same way. If you have lost track of the original artist, you can search for the song title online or use MusicBrainz Picard's lookup feature, which can fetch the correct metadata from an online database.

Will the change appear in streaming services like Spotify?

No. Streaming services store their own metadata on their servers. Changing the artist name on a local file only affects that file and players that read it directly. The streaming service will still show whatever artist name is in their database.

Can I change multiple fields at once, like artist and album?

Yes. In iTunes, Windows Media Player, or any tag editor, the Info or Edit window shows all the metadata fields together. You can change artist, album, song title, year, and other information in the same window before you click Save.