EasyTAG: A Tool for Viewing and Editing Tags in Audio and Video Files

EasyTAG is an open-source, cross-platform audio and video file tag editor that allows users to view and modify metadata information embedded in media files. Released under the GNU General Public License, this powerful tool supports a wide range of audio and video formats including MP3, MP4, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, and many others.

Originally designed to help organize music collections, EasyTAG has evolved into a comprehensive metadata management solution. It provides an intuitive interface for editing tags such as artist names, album titles, track numbers, genres, and even album artwork.

Key Features

• Supports multiple media formats: MP3, MP4, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, Speex, Opus, MPC, MP2, APE, and more

• Recursive directory browsing and batch editing capabilities

• Undo/redo functionality for safe editing

• Automated tagging using custom filename masks

• Built-in playlist generator

• Album artwork management with drag-and-drop support

• ID3 tag support using MAD project libraries

Installing EasyTAG on Linux

EasyTAG is available in most Linux distribution repositories, making installation straightforward through the package manager.

Ubuntu/Debian Installation

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install easytag

Other Linux Distributions

# Fedora
sudo dnf install easytag

# CentOS/RHEL
sudo yum install easytag

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S easytag

Alternative Installation via PPA

If EasyTAG is not available in your default repositories, you can add the official PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:amigadave/ppa
sudo apt update
sudo apt install easytag

Using EasyTAG

Launch EasyTAG from the terminal or application menu:

easytag

Basic Tag Editing Workflow

The EasyTAG interface consists of three main sections: a directory tree on the left, a file list in the center, and tag editing fields on the right.

1. Navigate to your media files using the directory tree

2. Select a file from the file list to view its current tags

3. Edit the metadata fields such as Title, Artist, Album, Year, Genre, and Track Number

4. Add or replace album artwork by dragging and dropping image files

5. Save changes using Ctrl+S or the Save button

Advanced Features

EasyTAG offers several advanced capabilities:

• Batch Processing Select multiple files to edit tags simultaneously

• Auto-tagging Generate tags from filenames using custom patterns

• Filename Generation Create filenames from tag information

• Playlist Creation Generate playlists from selected files

Uninstalling EasyTAG

To remove EasyTAG from your system, use the appropriate command for your distribution:

# Remove package only
sudo apt remove easytag

# Remove package and unused dependencies
sudo apt autoremove easytag

# Remove package and configuration files
sudo apt purge easytag

# Complete removal (package, dependencies, and config files)
sudo apt autoremove --purge easytag

Conclusion

EasyTAG provides a user-friendly solution for managing metadata in audio and video files across Linux, macOS, and Windows platforms. Its comprehensive format support, batch editing capabilities, and intuitive interface make it an essential tool for organizing digital media collections efficiently.