diff --git a/src/metaImage.cxx b/src/metaImage.cxx
index 306869f..1bfd3e1 100644
--- a/src/metaImage.cxx
+++ b/src/metaImage.cxx
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ MetaImage::PrintInfo() const
 
   std::cout << "ElementData = " << ((m_ElementData == nullptr) ? "NULL" : "Valid") << std::endl;
 
-  std::cout << "ElementDataFileName = " << m_ElementDataFileName << std::endl;
+  std::cout << "ElementDataFileName = " << MET_FromUtf8ToLocalEncoding(m_ElementDataFileName) << std::endl;
 }
 
 void
@@ -859,7 +859,7 @@ MetaImage::ElementDataFileName() const
 void
 MetaImage::ElementDataFileName(const char * _elementDataFileName)
 {
-  m_ElementDataFileName = _elementDataFileName;
+  m_ElementDataFileName = MET_FromLocalToUtf8Encoding(_elementDataFileName);
 }
 
 void *
@@ -1172,7 +1172,6 @@ MetaImage::CanReadStream(std::ifstream * _stream)
   return false;
 }
 
-
 bool
 MetaImage::ReadStream(int _nDims, std::ifstream * _stream, bool _readElements, void * _buffer)
 {
@@ -1372,11 +1371,11 @@ MetaImage::ReadStream(int _nDims, std::ifstream * _stream, bool _readElements, v
     {
       if (usePath && !FileIsFullPath(m_ElementDataFileName.c_str()))
       {
-        fName = pathName + m_ElementDataFileName;
+        fName = pathName + MET_FromUtf8ToLocalEncoding(m_ElementDataFileName);
       }
       else
       {
-        fName = m_ElementDataFileName;
+        fName = MET_FromUtf8ToLocalEncoding(m_ElementDataFileName);
       }
 
       auto * readStreamTemp = new std::ifstream;
@@ -1485,7 +1484,7 @@ MetaImage::Write(const char * _headName,
     if (pathName == elementPathName)
     {
       elementPathName = m_ElementDataFileName.substr(pathName.length());
-      m_ElementDataFileName = elementPathName;
+      m_ElementDataFileName = MET_FromLocalToUtf8Encoding(elementPathName);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/metaUtils.cxx b/src/metaUtils.cxx
index 5e84d33..fb88427 100644
--- a/src/metaUtils.cxx
+++ b/src/metaUtils.cxx
@@ -1800,6 +1800,75 @@ MET_SwapByteIfSystemMSB(void * val, MET_ValueEnumType _type)
   }
 }
 
+#if defined(_WIN32)
+
+namespace
+{
+
+std::wstring
+ToWide(const std::string & str, UINT encoding)
+{
+  std::wstring wstr;
+  const int    wlength = MultiByteToWideChar(encoding, 0, str.data(), int(str.size()), nullptr, 0);
+  if (wlength > 0)
+  {
+    wchar_t * wdata = new wchar_t[wlength];
+    int       r = MultiByteToWideChar(encoding, 0, str.data(), int(str.size()), wdata, wlength);
+    if (r > 0)
+    {
+      wstr = std::wstring(wdata, wlength);
+    }
+    delete[] wdata;
+  }
+  return wstr;
+}
+
+std::string
+ToNarrow(const std::wstring & str, int encoding)
+{
+  std::string nstr;
+  int         length = WideCharToMultiByte(encoding, 0, str.c_str(), int(str.size()), nullptr, 0, nullptr, nullptr);
+  if (length > 0)
+  {
+    char * data = new char[length];
+    int    r = WideCharToMultiByte(encoding, 0, str.c_str(), int(str.size()), data, length, nullptr, nullptr);
+    if (r > 0)
+    {
+      nstr = std::string(data, length);
+    }
+    delete[] data;
+  }
+  return nstr;
+}
+
+} // namespace
+
+std::string
+MET_FromUtf8ToLocalEncoding(const std::string & str)
+{
+  return ToNarrow(ToWide(str, CP_UTF8), CP_ACP);
+}
+
+std::string
+MET_FromLocalToUtf8Encoding(const std::string & str)
+{
+  return ToNarrow(ToWide(str, CP_ACP), CP_UTF8);
+}
+#else
+// other operating systems use UTF-8 encoding by default (?)
+std::string
+MET_FromUtf8ToLocalEncoding(const std::string & str)
+{
+  return str;
+}
+
+std::string
+MET_FromLocalToUtf8Encoding(const std::string & str)
+{
+  return str;
+}
+#endif
+
 #if (METAIO_USE_NAMESPACE)
 };
 #endif
diff --git a/src/metaUtils.h b/src/metaUtils.h
index e96fdce..cab3ed3 100644
--- a/src/metaUtils.h
+++ b/src/metaUtils.h
@@ -435,6 +435,14 @@ METAIO_EXPORT
 char *
 MET_ReadSubType(std::istream & _fp);
 
+METAIO_EXPORT
+std::string
+MET_FromUtf8ToLocalEncoding(const std::string& str);
+
+METAIO_EXPORT
+std::string
+MET_FromLocalToUtf8Encoding(const std::string& str);
+
 #  if (METAIO_USE_NAMESPACE)
 };
 #  endif