# Beets update empty fields

**URL:** <https://discourse.beets.io/t/beets-update-empty-fields/1408>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [July 17, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/beets-update-empty-fields/1408 "2020-07-17T19:48:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mamema2003](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@mamema2003](https://discourse.beets.io/u/mamema2003)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/beets-update-empty-fields/1408/1 "2020-07-17T19:48:37Z")

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My files are tagged manually very good before i’ve used beets.  
How can i fill the empty tags (eg musicbrainz id) without modifiying the current existing tags?

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**Author:** ![jtpavlock](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/jtpavlock/32/443_2.png) [@jtpavlock](https://discourse.beets.io/u/jtpavlock)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 12:45am UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/beets-update-empty-fields/1408/2 "2020-07-21T00:45:38Z")

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Can I ask why you want the musicbrainz ID if you don’t want musicbrainz to influence the tags?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mamema2003](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@mamema2003](https://discourse.beets.io/u/mamema2003)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 7:43pm UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/beets-update-empty-fields/1408/3 "2020-08-01T19:43:52Z")

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because tags like genre are very personal taste. I don’t want this to be overruled

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jtpavlock](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/discourse.beets.io/jtpavlock/32/443_2.png) [@jtpavlock](https://discourse.beets.io/u/jtpavlock)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 8:22pm UTC](https://discourse.beets.io/t/beets-update-empty-fields/1408/4 "2020-08-01T20:22:53Z")

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Hmm, I think `import -W` (don’t write tags on import) and then `beet update` should do what you’re asking. Then once the database is filled with the correct info, finish it off with `beet write` to write the database tags to your actual music files.

See [the update command](https://beets.readthedocs.io/en/v1.4.9/reference/cli.html#update) and [the write command](https://beets.readthedocs.io/en/v1.4.9/reference/cli.html#update)