Neon•9mo ago

'utf-8' codec can't decode byte 0xc2 in position 67: invalid continuation byte

guys I did everything step-by-step on https://neon.tech/postgresql/postgresql-python/connect but this error keeps showing up, what's wrong?

Neon

PostgreSQL Python: Connecting to PostgreSQL Server

In this tutorial, you will learn how to connect to the PostgreSQL database server from Python using the psycopg2 package.

instant-harlequin•4/12/25, 9:34 AM

If you see a 'utf-8' codec can't decode byte error when running connect.py, check that your database.ini file is saved using UTF-8 encoding. Some editors may default to a different encoding (like Windows-1252). Open the file in a code editor and save it as UTF-8. You can also update your config.py file to explicitly read with UTF-8 encoding.

Check encoding of database.ini
The ConfigParser in config.py assumes that the .ini file is UTF-8 encoded by default. If the file was created or edited in an editor that saved it with a different encoding (e.g., Windows-1252), it could trigger this error.

Fix: Re-save the file in UTF-8 format:

Open the database.ini file in a code editor like VS Code or Notepad++.

Save it with UTF-8 encoding:

In VS Code: File > Save with Encoding > UTF-8

In Notepad++: Encoding > Convert to UTF-8 → Save.

Check for hidden characters
There might be an invisible or non-printable character in database.ini. Common causes:

Copy-pasting from a website or document

Adding special characters (e.g., smart quotes or non-breaking spaces)

Fix: Delete and retype the line that causes the error. Or recreate the file manually with clean text.

3. Explicitly set the encoding when reading the file
You can update config.py to read with explicit UTF-8 encoding:

from configparser import ConfigParser

def load_config(filename='database.ini', section='postgresql'):
    parser = ConfigParser()
    with open(filename, encoding='utf-8') as f:
        parser.read_file(f)
    config = {}
    if parser.has_section(section):
        params = parser.items(section)
        for param in params:
            config[param[0]] = param[1]
    else:
        raise Exception(f'Section {section} not found in the {filename} file')
    return config
This avoids any encoding assumption mismatch.

from configparser import ConfigParser

def load_config(filename='database.ini', section='postgresql'):
    parser = ConfigParser()
    with open(filename, encoding='utf-8') as f:
        parser.read_file(f)
    config = {}
    if parser.has_section(section):
        params = parser.items(section)
        for param in params:
            config[param[0]] = param[1]
    else:
        raise Exception(f'Section {section} not found in the {filename} file')
    return config
This avoids any encoding assumption mismatch.

from configparser import ConfigParser def load_config(filename='database.ini', section='postgresql'): parser = ConfigParser() with open(filename, encoding='utf-8') as f: parser.read_file(f) config = {} if parser.has_section(section): params = parser.items(section) for param in params: config[param[0]] = param[1] else: raise Exception(f'Section {section} not found in the {filename} file') return config This avoids any encoding assumption mismatch.

'utf-8' codec can't decode byte 0xc2 in position 67: invalid continuation byte

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