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# Embed custom metadata tags
- URL: https://ffmpeguru.com/embed-custom-metadata-tags/
- Published: 2026-08-07T09:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-13T17:59:35.000Z
- Author: FFmpeguru
- Tags: ffmpeg

![](https://picsum.photos/seed/ffback5/1200/630)

FFmpeg can attach arbitrary key/value metadata to the container and to individual streams. The most common use is to set the title, artist, year, or comment on a finished audio or video file so media players show it in the info panel.

## The command

```
ffmpeg -i in.m4a -metadata title="My Podcast Episode 1" -metadata artist="My Name" -metadata date=2026 -c copy out.m4a
```

## What it does

The \`-metadata key=value\` flag sets a single container-level tag. Repeat it to set multiple fields. The change is written into the output container header during the muxer phase, so no re-encode is needed. Stream-level metadata is set with \`-metadata:s:0 key=value\` (where \`0\` is the stream index).

## Requirements

Any container that supports metadata. Most modern containers do; some older or specialty ones (raw streams, some image formats) do not. Stream copy is sufficient, so no encoder is required.

## Things to avoid

- Setting metadata on a format that does not support it. Some encoders silently drop unknown fields. Test by reading the file back with ffprobe.
- Using \`-metadata\` with values that contain shell-special characters without quoting. Spaces, quotes, and \`;\` will need escaping or single-quoting.
- Forgetting that \`-metadata\` writes the value as-is. FFmpeg does not validate ISO dates, language codes, or BPM fields — the player may reject malformed values.
- Overwriting a tag the player relies on, like \`encoder\` or \`major\_brand\`. Use \`-metadata\` only for tags you control.