diff --git a/apps/emqx_conf/src/emqx_conf_schema.erl b/apps/emqx_conf/src/emqx_conf_schema.erl
index 76213c690..b37c3f71e 100644
--- a/apps/emqx_conf/src/emqx_conf_schema.erl
+++ b/apps/emqx_conf/src/emqx_conf_schema.erl
@@ -508,6 +508,7 @@ fields("node") ->
                     desc => ?DESC(node_crash_dump_file),
                     default => crash_dump_file_default(),
                     importance => ?IMPORTANCE_HIDDEN,
+                    converter => fun ensure_unicode_path/2,
                     'readOnly' => true
                 }
             )},
@@ -754,6 +755,7 @@ fields("rpc") ->
                 file(),
                 #{
                     mapping => "gen_rpc.certfile",
+                    converter => fun ensure_unicode_path/2,
                     desc => ?DESC(rpc_certfile)
                 }
             )},
@@ -762,6 +764,7 @@ fields("rpc") ->
                 file(),
                 #{
                     mapping => "gen_rpc.keyfile",
+                    converter => fun ensure_unicode_path/2,
                     desc => ?DESC(rpc_keyfile)
                 }
             )},
@@ -770,6 +773,7 @@ fields("rpc") ->
                 file(),
                 #{
                     mapping => "gen_rpc.cacertfile",
+                    converter => fun ensure_unicode_path/2,
                     desc => ?DESC(rpc_cacertfile)
                 }
             )},
@@ -892,8 +896,10 @@ fields("log_file_handler") ->
                 file(),
                 #{
                     desc => ?DESC("log_file_handler_file"),
-                    default => <<"${EMQX_LOG_DIR}/emqx.log">>,
-                    converter => fun emqx_schema:naive_env_interpolation/1
+                    converter => fun(Path, Opts) ->
+                        emqx_schema:naive_env_interpolation(ensure_unicode_path(Path, Opts))
+                    end,
+                    default => <<"${EMQX_LOG_DIR}/emqx.log">>
                 }
             )},
         {"rotation",
@@ -1349,3 +1355,20 @@ validator_string_re(Val, RE, Error) ->
 
 node_array() ->
     hoconsc:union([emqx_schema:comma_separated_atoms(), hoconsc:array(atom())]).
+
+ensure_unicode_path(undefined, _) ->
+    undefined;
+ensure_unicode_path(Path, #{make_serializable := true}) ->
+    %% format back to serializable string
+    unicode:characters_to_binary(Path, utf8);
+ensure_unicode_path(Path, Opts) when is_binary(Path) ->
+    case unicode:characters_to_list(Path, utf8) of
+        {R, _, _} when R =:= error orelse R =:= incomplete ->
+            throw({"bad_file_path_string", Path});
+        PathStr ->
+            ensure_unicode_path(PathStr, Opts)
+    end;
+ensure_unicode_path(Path, _) when is_list(Path) ->
+    Path;
+ensure_unicode_path(Path, _) ->
+    throw({"not_string", Path}).
diff --git a/apps/emqx_conf/test/emqx_conf_schema_tests.erl b/apps/emqx_conf/test/emqx_conf_schema_tests.erl
index 06784e32d..4eaf3db6b 100644
--- a/apps/emqx_conf/test/emqx_conf_schema_tests.erl
+++ b/apps/emqx_conf/test/emqx_conf_schema_tests.erl
@@ -232,3 +232,47 @@ ensure_acl_conf() ->
         true -> ok;
         false -> file:write_file(File, <<"">>)
     end.
+
+log_path_test_() ->
+    Fh = fun(Path) ->
+        #{<<"log">> => #{<<"file_handlers">> => #{<<"name1">> => #{<<"file">> => Path}}}}
+    end,
+    Assert = fun(Name, Path, Conf) ->
+        ?assertMatch(#{log := #{file_handlers := #{Name := #{file := Path}}}}, Conf)
+    end,
+
+    [
+        {"default-values", fun() -> Assert(default, "log/emqx.log", check(#{})) end},
+        {"file path with space", fun() -> Assert(name1, "a /b", check(Fh(<<"a /b">>))) end},
+        {"windows", fun() -> Assert(name1, "c:\\a\\ b\\", check(Fh(<<"c:\\a\\ b\\">>))) end},
+        {"unicoded", fun() -> Assert(name1, "路 径", check(Fh(<<"路 径"/utf8>>))) end},
+        {"bad utf8", fun() ->
+            ?assertThrow(
+                {emqx_conf_schema, [
+                    #{
+                        kind := validation_error,
+                        reason := {"bad_file_path_string", _}
+                    }
+                ]},
+                check(Fh(<<239, 32, 132, 47, 117, 116, 102, 56>>))
+            )
+        end},
+        {"not string", fun() ->
+            ?assertThrow(
+                {emqx_conf_schema, [
+                    #{
+                        kind := validation_error,
+                        reason := {"not_string", _}
+                    }
+                ]},
+                check(Fh(#{<<"foo">> => <<"bar">>}))
+            )
+        end}
+    ].
+
+check(Config) ->
+    Schema = emqx_conf_schema,
+    {_, Conf} = hocon_tconf:map(Schema, Config, [log], #{
+        atom_key => false, required => false, format => map
+    }),
+    emqx_utils_maps:unsafe_atom_key_map(Conf).