Mp3tag can fill album tags and cover art from Discogs and MusicBrainz through its Tag Sources menu. This guide shows the lookup step by step, the cover only option, the Discogs release ID shortcut and the cover size setting.
This is an independent guide, not the developer's site. Download buttons lead to the official Mp3tag pages. Facts were read on mp3tag.de on 14 November 2026.
To import tags from Discogs or MusicBrainz in Mp3tag, select the files of one album and choose Tag Sources > Discogs or Tag Sources > MusicBrainz, search for the release, pick it and confirm the track order. Album fields, track titles and cover art are written to the files. Discogs needs a one time authorization first.
Why use tag sources
Typing artist, album, year and track titles by hand is slow and error prone. The Tag Sources menu asks an online database for the release and writes its data into the selected files, so one search can fill a whole album, including the cover. Discogs and MusicBrainz come built in, and the home page also names freedb among the supported databases.
Lookups work per album: you select the tracks of one release and search for it. The program does not recognise unknown songs by listening to them, so files need at least a folder name, filename or partial tag that tells you which album they belong to. If only the filenames are good, read them into tags first with the rename and convert guide.
Import tags step by step
- Select one albumIn the file list, select all tracks of a single release, and sort them in track order.
- Choose the sourceOpen Tag Sources and pick Discogs or MusicBrainz. Later, Ctrl+I runs the last used source again.
- Search for the releaseEnter or confirm the artist and album in the search dialog. A list of matching releases appears.
- Pick the right releaseChoose the edition that matches your copy, checking track count, year and country, since reissues often differ.
- Check the track orderThe adjustment dialog shows which online track goes to which file. Move entries if they do not line up.
- ConfirmAccept to write the tags and, if selected, the cover to all chosen files.
Discogs authorization and release IDs
Discogs requires that the program is authorized before it can import data. The Tag Sources section of the documentation explains how to connect it to a Discogs account; you do this once.
If you already know the exact release, Tag Sources > Discogs Release ID skips the search. Copy the ID from the release page on Discogs and paste it in; the program goes straight to that edition. This avoids picking the wrong pressing from a long list.
Cover art only
When the tags are already correct and only the artwork is missing, use the Tag Sources > Covers submenu. It lists sources that import cover art without touching the other fields.
MusicBrainz serves covers from the Cover Art Archive in several sizes, and the original images can be very large. Under Options > Tag Sources you can set a preferred size of 250, 500 or 1200 pixels, which applies to all MusicBrainz sources. Embedded covers can later be exported from many files at once, one of the features described in the review.
More sources and recent changes
Further sources written by the community can be added through Tag Sources > Open Tag Sources Folder; files placed there appear in the menu. Recent releases have improved this area repeatedly: version 3.35 improved the Discogs and MusicBrainz sources, and versions 3.36 and 3.37 added further Tag Sources improvements.
Make sure you run the current version, linked on the download page, before reporting a lookup problem on the community forum.
Fill your tags from Discogs or MusicBrainz
The Tag Sources menu is part of the standard Windows download, with no extra cost.
Frequently asked questions
How do I use MusicBrainz in Mp3tag?
Select the tracks of one album and choose Tag Sources > MusicBrainz. Search for the release, pick the matching edition, check the track order and confirm to write tags and cover.
Why does Discogs not work in Mp3tag?
Discogs requires a one time authorization of the program. The documentation's Tag Sources section explains the steps; after that the Discogs source works like MusicBrainz.
Can I download only album covers?
Yes. Use the Tag Sources > Covers submenu, which lists sources that import cover art only and leave other fields alone.
How do I set the cover image size?
Open Options > Tag Sources and choose 250, 500 or 1200 pixels. The setting applies to all MusicBrainz sources, which take covers from the Cover Art Archive.
Does it identify songs automatically?
No. Lookups search per album by artist and release. Files need some information, such as a folder name, to find the right release.