How to fix Error: Invalid UTF-8 sequence in Terraform

Most modern text editors allow you to view and change file encoding. In VS Code, click the "UTF-8" indicator in the bottom status bar to see and change encoding options.

Ensure your .tf files are saved as UTF-8 without BOM. This is the default in most editors but may be overridden if you explicitly set encoding options.

If your file has a UTF-8 BOM, you'll see a special '' or 'ï' character at the very beginning when opened in a hex editor. Most editors have a way to remove the BOM.

In VS Code:
1. Open the file
2. Click "UTF-8" in the status bar
3. Select "UTF-8 with BOM" to see if it's enabled
4. Switch to "UTF-8" (without BOM) to remove it
5. Save the file

If the encoding is still problematic, the simplest fix is to re-create the file:

1. Open your problematic .tf file
2. Copy all the content
3. Create a new file (ensuring it's UTF-8)
4. Paste the content
5. Delete the old file and save the new one

Use text editors like VS Code, Sublime Text, or Vim. Avoid Notepad on Windows, which often uses system encoding instead of UTF-8.

If you're trying to read binary content (zip archives, encrypted files, images), the file() function cannot handle it. Use filebase64() instead:

# Instead of:
locals {
  binary = file("archive.zip")  # ERROR

  # Use:
  binary_encoded = filebase64("archive.zip")  # Works
}

For providers that need binary content, use attributes like content_base64 instead of content.

After fixing the encoding, validate your Terraform configuration:

terraform fmt -recursive       # Auto-format all .tf files
terraform validate            # Check syntax and provider validity

The terraform fmt command also helps ensure consistent formatting and can catch some encoding issues.

If you have multiple files, check for encoding issues across your project:

# On Linux/Mac, check file encoding:
file *.tf | grep -i "utf"

# On Windows, use PowerShell (ensure UTF-8):
Get-ChildItem *.tf | ForEach-Object { $_.FullName }

Convert files from other encodings using iconv (Linux/Mac) or online tools. Ensure all .tf, .tfvars, and related files use UTF-8 without BOM.