diff --git a/src/fs/AllocatedPath.cxx b/src/fs/AllocatedPath.cxx
index 62284715a..eda4008da 100644
--- a/src/fs/AllocatedPath.cxx
+++ b/src/fs/AllocatedPath.cxx
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@
 #include "util/Error.hxx"
 #include "Compiler.h"
 
+#include <stdexcept>
+
 /* no inlining, please */
 AllocatedPath::~AllocatedPath() {}
 
@@ -31,7 +33,11 @@ AllocatedPath
 AllocatedPath::FromUTF8(const char *path_utf8)
 {
 #if defined(HAVE_FS_CHARSET) || defined(WIN32)
-	return AllocatedPath(::PathFromUTF8(path_utf8));
+	try {
+		return AllocatedPath(::PathFromUTF8(path_utf8));
+	} catch (const std::runtime_error &) {
+		return nullptr;
+	}
 #else
 	return FromFS(path_utf8);
 #endif
@@ -58,7 +64,11 @@ AllocatedPath::GetDirectoryName() const
 std::string
 AllocatedPath::ToUTF8() const
 {
-	return ::PathToUTF8(c_str());
+	try {
+		return ::PathToUTF8(c_str());
+	} catch (const std::runtime_error &) {
+		return std::string();
+	}
 }
 
 void
diff --git a/src/fs/Charset.cxx b/src/fs/Charset.cxx
index a331bd064..b721a6100 100644
--- a/src/fs/Charset.cxx
+++ b/src/fs/Charset.cxx
@@ -101,12 +101,8 @@ PathToUTF8(PathTraitsFS::const_pointer_type path_fs)
 #endif
 
 #ifdef WIN32
-	try {
-		const auto buffer = WideCharToMultiByte(CP_UTF8, path_fs);
-		return FixSeparators(PathTraitsUTF8::string(buffer.c_str()));
-	} catch (const std::runtime_error &) {
-		return PathTraitsUTF8::string();
-	}
+	const auto buffer = WideCharToMultiByte(CP_UTF8, path_fs);
+	return FixSeparators(PathTraitsUTF8::string(buffer.c_str()));
 #else
 #ifdef HAVE_FS_CHARSET
 	if (fs_converter == nullptr)
@@ -114,12 +110,8 @@ PathToUTF8(PathTraitsFS::const_pointer_type path_fs)
 		return FixSeparators(path_fs);
 #ifdef HAVE_FS_CHARSET
 
-	try {
-		const auto buffer = fs_converter->ToUTF8(path_fs);
-		return FixSeparators(PathTraitsUTF8::string(buffer.c_str()));
-	} catch (const std::runtime_error &) {
-		return PathTraitsUTF8::string();
-	}
+	const auto buffer = fs_converter->ToUTF8(path_fs);
+	return FixSeparators(PathTraitsUTF8::string(buffer.c_str()));
 #endif
 #endif
 }
@@ -135,20 +127,13 @@ PathFromUTF8(PathTraitsUTF8::const_pointer_type path_utf8)
 #endif
 
 #ifdef WIN32
-	try {
-		const auto buffer = MultiByteToWideChar(CP_UTF8, path_utf8);
-		return PathTraitsFS::string(buffer.c_str());
-	} catch (const std::runtime_error &) {
-		return PathTraitsFS::string();
-	}
+	const auto buffer = MultiByteToWideChar(CP_UTF8, path_utf8);
+	return PathTraitsFS::string(buffer.c_str());
 #else
 	if (fs_converter == nullptr)
 		return path_utf8;
 
 	const auto buffer = fs_converter->FromUTF8(path_utf8);
-	if (buffer.IsNull())
-		return PathTraitsFS::string();
-
 	return PathTraitsFS::string(buffer.c_str());
 #endif
 }
diff --git a/src/fs/Charset.hxx b/src/fs/Charset.hxx
index b7497ca32..f0d6e15e6 100644
--- a/src/fs/Charset.hxx
+++ b/src/fs/Charset.hxx
@@ -48,7 +48,8 @@ DeinitFSCharset();
 
 /**
  * Convert the path to UTF-8.
- * Returns empty string on error.
+ *
+ * Throws std::runtime_error on error.
  */
 gcc_pure gcc_nonnull_all
 PathTraitsUTF8::string
@@ -56,7 +57,8 @@ PathToUTF8(PathTraitsFS::const_pointer_type path_fs);
 
 /**
  * Convert the path from UTF-8.
- * Returns empty string on error.
+ *
+ * Throws std::runtime_error on error.
  */
 gcc_pure gcc_nonnull_all
 PathTraitsFS::string
diff --git a/src/fs/Path.cxx b/src/fs/Path.cxx
index cb8acd3fe..d28dbc1d4 100644
--- a/src/fs/Path.cxx
+++ b/src/fs/Path.cxx
@@ -21,10 +21,16 @@
 #include "Path.hxx"
 #include "Charset.hxx"
 
+#include <stdexcept>
+
 std::string
 Path::ToUTF8() const
 {
-	return ::PathToUTF8(c_str());
+	try {
+		return ::PathToUTF8(c_str());
+	} catch (const std::runtime_error &) {
+		return std::string();
+	}
 }
 
 Path::const_pointer_type