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MySQL 9.4 Reference Manual  / ...  / Character Sets, Collations, Unicode  / Unicode Support  /  The utf8 Character Set (Deprecated alias for utf8mb3)

12.9.3 The utf8 Character Set (Deprecated alias for utf8mb3)

utf8 has been used by MySQL in the past as an alias for theutf8mb3 character set, but this usage is now deprecated; in MySQL 9.4,SHOW statements and columns ofINFORMATION_SCHEMA tables displayutf8mb3 instead. For more information, seeSection 12.9.2, “The utf8mb3 Character Set (3-Byte UTF-8 Unicode Encoding)”.

Note

The recommended character set for MySQL isutf8mb4. All new applications should useutf8mb4.

Theutf8mb3 character set is deprecated.utf8mb3 remains supported for the lifetimes of the MySQL 8.0.x and MySQL 8.4.x LTS release series.

Expectutf8mb3 to be removed in a future major release of MySQL.

Since changing character sets can be a complex and time-consuming task, you should begin to prepare for this change now by usingutf8mb4 for new applications. For guidance in converting existing applications which use utfmb3, seeSection 12.9.8, “Converting Between 3-Byte and 4-Byte Unicode Character Sets”.