diff --git a/roles/matrix-server/templates/synapse/synapse.log.config.j2 b/roles/matrix-server/templates/synapse/synapse.log.config.j2
index b551047c1..59fc9c809 100644
--- a/roles/matrix-server/templates/synapse/synapse.log.config.j2
+++ b/roles/matrix-server/templates/synapse/synapse.log.config.j2
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ handlers:
         maxBytes: {{ matrix_synapse_max_log_file_size_mb * 1024 * 1024 }}
         backupCount: {{ matrix_synapse_max_log_files_count }}
         filters: [context]
+        encoding: utf8
     console:
         class: logging.StreamHandler
         formatter: precise