diff --git a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/session.cpp b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/session.cpp
index f9e1e758e8d..cdadc7e9474 100644
--- a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/session.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/session.cpp
@@ -831,7 +831,7 @@ void SessionManager::setEditorCodec(Core::IEditor *editor, const QString &fileNa
     if (TextEditor::ITextEditor *textEditor = qobject_cast<TextEditor::ITextEditor*>(editor))
         if (Project *project = projectForFile(fileName)) {
             if (QTextCodec *codec = project->editorConfiguration()->defaultTextCodec())
-                textEditor->setTextCodec(codec);
+                textEditor->setTextCodec(codec, TextEditor::ITextEditor::TextCodecFromProjectSetting);
         }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/qmljseditor/qmljseditor.cpp b/src/plugins/qmljseditor/qmljseditor.cpp
index 4ed8f993dae..3806d673856 100644
--- a/src/plugins/qmljseditor/qmljseditor.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/qmljseditor/qmljseditor.cpp
@@ -659,6 +659,7 @@ QmlJSTextEditor::QmlJSTextEditor(QWidget *parent) :
     connect(m_cursorPositionTimer, SIGNAL(timeout()), this, SLOT(updateCursorPositionNow()));
 
     baseTextDocument()->setSyntaxHighlighter(new Highlighter(document()));
+    baseTextDocument()->setCodec(QTextCodec::codecForName("UTF-8")); // qml files are defined to be utf-8
 
     m_modelManager = ExtensionSystem::PluginManager::instance()->getObject<ModelManagerInterface>();
     m_contextPane = ExtensionSystem::PluginManager::instance()->getObject<QmlJS::IContextPane>();
diff --git a/src/plugins/qmljseditor/qmljseditoreditable.cpp b/src/plugins/qmljseditor/qmljseditoreditable.cpp
index d18a3f9d7fb..72dca9d5534 100644
--- a/src/plugins/qmljseditor/qmljseditoreditable.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/qmljseditor/qmljseditoreditable.cpp
@@ -93,4 +93,11 @@ QString QmlJSEditorEditable::preferredModeType() const
     return QString();
 }
 
+void QmlJSEditorEditable::setTextCodec(QTextCodec *codec, TextCodecReason reason)
+{
+    if (reason != TextCodecOtherReason) // qml is defined to be utf8
+        return;
+    editor()->setTextCodec(codec);
+}
+
 } // namespace QmlJSEditor
diff --git a/src/plugins/qmljseditor/qmljseditoreditable.h b/src/plugins/qmljseditor/qmljseditoreditable.h
index 8854aa3ddc8..4003538bb5a 100644
--- a/src/plugins/qmljseditor/qmljseditoreditable.h
+++ b/src/plugins/qmljseditor/qmljseditoreditable.h
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ public:
     bool isTemporary() const { return false; }
     virtual bool open(const QString & fileName);
     virtual QString preferredModeType() const;
+    void setTextCodec(QTextCodec *codec, TextCodecReason = TextCodecOtherReason);
+
 
 private:
     Core::Context m_context;
diff --git a/src/plugins/texteditor/basetexteditor.h b/src/plugins/texteditor/basetexteditor.h
index 174dadafcba..c9984dd7ba9 100644
--- a/src/plugins/texteditor/basetexteditor.h
+++ b/src/plugins/texteditor/basetexteditor.h
@@ -588,7 +588,7 @@ public:
     void setContextHelpId(const QString &id) { m_contextHelpId = id; }
     QString contextHelpId() const; // from IContext
 
-    inline void setTextCodec(QTextCodec *codec) { e->setTextCodec(codec); }
+    inline void setTextCodec(QTextCodec *codec, TextCodecReason = TextCodecOtherReason) { e->setTextCodec(codec); }
     inline QTextCodec *textCodec() const { return e->textCodec(); }
 
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/texteditor/itexteditor.h b/src/plugins/texteditor/itexteditor.h
index 6d21c68702c..1a0f4b3ed63 100644
--- a/src/plugins/texteditor/itexteditor.h
+++ b/src/plugins/texteditor/itexteditor.h
@@ -119,7 +119,13 @@ public:
 
     virtual void setContextHelpId(const QString &) = 0;
 
-    virtual void setTextCodec(QTextCodec *) = 0;
+    enum TextCodecReason {
+        TextCodecOtherReason,
+        TextCodecFromSystemSetting,
+        TextCodecFromProjectSetting
+    };
+
+    virtual void setTextCodec(QTextCodec *, TextCodecReason reason = TextCodecOtherReason) = 0;
     virtual QTextCodec *textCodec() const = 0;
 
     static QMap<QString, QString> openedTextEditorsContents();