diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/ripgrepTextSearch.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/ripgrepTextSearch.ts
index 58c31d0ff63275ed5ba29413e581e00a3d022d91..05ecdc78c93ddecf2539bd2e604fbab523b51f6b 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/ripgrepTextSearch.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/ripgrepTextSearch.ts
@@ -469,9 +469,11 @@ function getRgArgs(config: IRawSearch) {
 		args.push('--follow');
 	}
 
-	// Set default encoding if only one folder is opened
-	if (config.folderQueries.length === 1 && config.folderQueries[0].fileEncoding && config.folderQueries[0].fileEncoding !== 'utf8') {
-		args.push('--encoding', encoding.toCanonicalName(config.folderQueries[0].fileEncoding));
+	if (config.folderQueries[0]) {
+		const folder0Encoding = config.folderQueries[0].fileEncoding;
+		if (folder0Encoding && folder0Encoding !== 'utf8' && config.folderQueries.every(fq => fq.fileEncoding === folder0Encoding)) {
+			args.push('--encoding', encoding.toCanonicalName(folder0Encoding));
+		}
 	}
 
 	// Ripgrep handles -- as a -- arg separator. Only --.