diff --git a/intern/CMakeLists.txt b/intern/CMakeLists.txt
index 7b900d3beea..f9814033a97 100644
--- a/intern/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/intern/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -43,10 +43,7 @@ if(WITH_BULLET)
   add_subdirectory(rigidbody)
 endif()
 
-# only windows needs utf16 converter
-if(WIN32)
-  add_subdirectory(utfconv)
-endif()
+add_subdirectory(utfconv)
 
 if(WITH_MOD_FLUID)
   add_subdirectory(mantaflow)
diff --git a/intern/utfconv/CMakeLists.txt b/intern/utfconv/CMakeLists.txt
index 0f567f13a7c..17b9e96751d 100644
--- a/intern/utfconv/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/intern/utfconv/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
 
 set(INC
-  .
+  PUBLIC .
 )
 
 set(INC_SYS
@@ -19,14 +19,16 @@ set(SRC
 set(LIB
 )
 
-# This is odd but leave it for now...
-# Why have win32 check here? - this is only used for windows.
-# ... because one day we might want to use it on other platforms.
+# This library is currently windows only, for the other platforms an empty target is created this 
+# way we don't have to clutter if(WIN32) ... endif() all over the place to use this library.
 if(WIN32)
   list(APPEND SRC
     utf_winfunc.cc
     utf_winfunc.hh
   )
+  blender_add_lib(bf_intern_utfconv "${SRC}" "${INC}" "${INC_SYS}" "${LIB}")
+else()
+  add_library(bf_intern_utfconv INTERFACE)
 endif()
 
-blender_add_lib(bf_intern_utfconv "${SRC}" "${INC}" "${INC_SYS}" "${LIB}")
+add_library(bf::intern::utfconv ALIAS bf_intern_utfconv)
diff --git a/source/blender/imbuf/intern/oiio/CMakeLists.txt b/source/blender/imbuf/intern/oiio/CMakeLists.txt
index 3ed76ccd1ea..e85b83da551 100644
--- a/source/blender/imbuf/intern/oiio/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/source/blender/imbuf/intern/oiio/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ set(INC
   ..
   ../..
   ../../../blenkernel
-  ../../../../../intern/utfconv
 )
 
 set(INC_SYS
@@ -27,6 +26,7 @@ set(LIB
   PRIVATE bf::blenlib
   PRIVATE bf::dna
   PRIVATE bf::intern::guardedalloc
+  PRIVATE bf::intern::utfconv
 )
 
 if(WITH_PUGIXML)
diff --git a/source/blender/imbuf/intern/openexr/CMakeLists.txt b/source/blender/imbuf/intern/openexr/CMakeLists.txt
index c9a6eb5c732..a7163d98342 100644
--- a/source/blender/imbuf/intern/openexr/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/source/blender/imbuf/intern/openexr/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ set(INC
   ..
   ../..
   ../../../blenkernel
-  ../../../../../intern/utfconv
 )
 
 set(INC_SYS
@@ -23,6 +22,7 @@ set(LIB
   PRIVATE bf::blenlib
   PRIVATE bf::dna
   PRIVATE bf::intern::guardedalloc
+  PRIVATE bf::intern::utfconv
 )
 
 if(WITH_IMAGE_OPENEXR)
diff --git a/source/blender/io/alembic/CMakeLists.txt b/source/blender/io/alembic/CMakeLists.txt
index 9287fc546c9..574dd0cfda4 100644
--- a/source/blender/io/alembic/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/source/blender/io/alembic/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ set(INC
   ../../editors/include
   ../../makesrna
   ../../windowmanager
-  ../../../../intern/utfconv
 )
 
 set(INC_SYS
@@ -92,6 +91,7 @@ set(LIB
   PRIVATE bf::dna
   PRIVATE bf::intern::clog
   PRIVATE bf::intern::guardedalloc
+  PRIVATE bf::intern::utfconv
   bf_io_common
 
   ${ALEMBIC_LIBRARIES}
diff --git a/source/blender/io/gpencil/CMakeLists.txt b/source/blender/io/gpencil/CMakeLists.txt
index a9bf90a7190..38ab950fe01 100644
--- a/source/blender/io/gpencil/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/source/blender/io/gpencil/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ set(INC
   ../../makesrna
   ../../windowmanager
   ../../../../intern/guardedalloc
-  ../../../../intern/utfconv
 )
 
 set(INC_SYS
@@ -40,6 +39,7 @@ set(LIB
   PRIVATE bf::extern::nanosvg
   PRIVATE bf::intern::clog
   PRIVATE bf::intern::guardedalloc
+  PRIVATE bf::intern::utfconv
   bf_io_common
 )
 
diff --git a/source/blender/io/usd/CMakeLists.txt b/source/blender/io/usd/CMakeLists.txt
index bf26de8ac08..1eb854470eb 100644
--- a/source/blender/io/usd/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/source/blender/io/usd/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -66,7 +66,6 @@ set(INC
   ../../nodes
   ../../python/intern
   ../../windowmanager
-  ../../../../intern/utfconv
   # RNA_prototypes.h
   ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/source/blender/makesrna
 )
@@ -186,6 +185,7 @@ set(LIB
   PRIVATE bf::imbuf
   PRIVATE bf::intern::clog
   PRIVATE bf::intern::guardedalloc
+  PRIVATE bf::intern::utfconv
   bf_io_common
 )