diff --git a/docs/upgrades/upgrade_7.5.40-7.6.10.pl b/docs/upgrades/upgrade_7.5.40-7.6.10.pl
index 7ae0c9e64..08900c63a 100644
--- a/docs/upgrades/upgrade_7.5.40-7.6.10.pl
+++ b/docs/upgrades/upgrade_7.5.40-7.6.10.pl
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ use WebGUI::Utility qw(isIn);
 my $toVersion = '7.6.10';
 my $quiet; # this line required
 
+# in case we need to output UTF-8 chars
+binmode STDOUT, ':utf8';
 
 my $session = start(); # this line required