diff --git a/apps/bsatool/bsatool.cpp b/apps/bsatool/bsatool.cpp
index 16c25594c6..6313b92e95 100644
--- a/apps/bsatool/bsatool.cpp
+++ b/apps/bsatool/bsatool.cpp
@@ -19,9 +19,9 @@ struct Arguments
 {
     std::string mode;
     std::filesystem::path filename;
-    std::string extractfile;
-    std::string addfile;
-    std::string outdir;
+    std::filesystem::path extractfile;
+    std::filesystem::path addfile;
+    std::filesystem::path outdir;
 
     bool longformat;
     bool fullpath;
@@ -115,10 +115,10 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, Arguments &info)
     }
     auto inputFiles = variables["input-file"].as< std::vector<Files::MaybeQuotedPath> >();
 
-    info.filename = inputFiles[0];
+    info.filename = inputFiles[0].u8string(); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
 
     // Default output to the working directory
-    info.outdir = ".";
+    info.outdir = std::filesystem::current_path();
 
     if (info.mode == "extract")
     {
@@ -129,9 +129,9 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, Arguments &info)
             return false;
         }
         if (inputFiles.size() > 1)
-            info.extractfile = inputFiles[1];
+            info.extractfile = inputFiles[1].u8string(); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
         if (inputFiles.size() > 2)
-            info.outdir = inputFiles[2];
+            info.outdir = inputFiles[2].u8string(); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
     }
     else if (info.mode == "add")
     {
@@ -142,10 +142,10 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, Arguments &info)
             return false;
         }
         if (inputFiles.size() > 1)
-            info.addfile = inputFiles[1];
+            info.addfile = inputFiles[1].u8string(); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
     }
     else if (inputFiles.size() > 1)
-        info.outdir = inputFiles[1];
+        info.outdir = inputFiles[1].u8string(); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
 
     info.longformat = variables.count("long") != 0;
     info.fullpath = variables.count("full-path") != 0;
@@ -179,10 +179,10 @@ int list(std::unique_ptr<File>& bsa, Arguments& info)
 template<typename File>
 int extract(std::unique_ptr<File>& bsa, Arguments& info)
 {
-    std::string archivePath = info.extractfile;
+    std::string archivePath = info.extractfile.string(); //TODO(Project579): This will probably break in windows with unicode paths
     Misc::StringUtils::replaceAll(archivePath, "/", "\\");
 
-    std::string extractPath = info.extractfile;
+    std::string extractPath = info.extractfile.string(); //TODO(Project579): This will probably break in windows with unicode paths
     Misc::StringUtils::replaceAll(extractPath, "\\", "/");
 
     Files::IStreamPtr stream;
@@ -204,13 +204,12 @@ int extract(std::unique_ptr<File>& bsa, Arguments& info)
 
     // Get the target path (the path the file will be extracted to)
     std::filesystem::path relPath (extractPath);
-    std::filesystem::path outdir (info.outdir);
 
     std::filesystem::path target;
     if (info.fullpath)
-        target = outdir / relPath;
+        target = info.outdir / relPath;
     else
-        target = outdir / relPath.filename();
+        target = info.outdir / relPath.filename();
 
     // Create the directory hierarchy
     std::filesystem::create_directories(target.parent_path());
@@ -225,7 +224,7 @@ int extract(std::unique_ptr<File>& bsa, Arguments& info)
     std::ofstream out(target, std::ios::binary);
 
     // Write the file to disk
-    std::cout << "Extracting " << info.extractfile << " to " << target << std::endl;
+    std::cout << "Extracting " << info.extractfile << " to " << target << std::endl; //TODO(Project579): This will probably break in windows with unicode paths
 
     out << stream->rdbuf();
     out.close();
@@ -242,7 +241,7 @@ int extractAll(std::unique_ptr<File>& bsa, Arguments& info)
         Misc::StringUtils::replaceAll(extractPath, "\\", "/");
 
         // Get the target path (the path the file will be extracted to)
-        std::filesystem::path target (info.outdir);
+        auto target = info.outdir;
         target /= extractPath;
 
         // Create the directory hierarchy
@@ -272,7 +271,7 @@ template<typename File>
 int add(std::unique_ptr<File>& bsa, Arguments& info)
 {
     std::fstream stream(info.addfile, std::ios_base::binary | std::ios_base::out | std::ios_base::in);
-    bsa->addFile(info.addfile, stream);
+    bsa->addFile(info.addfile.string(), stream); //TODO(Project579): This will probably break in windows with unicode paths
 
     return 0;
 }
diff --git a/apps/esmtool/esmtool.cpp b/apps/esmtool/esmtool.cpp
index fa46b4d910..f95777d0ef 100644
--- a/apps/esmtool/esmtool.cpp
+++ b/apps/esmtool/esmtool.cpp
@@ -156,9 +156,9 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, Arguments &info)
       }*/
 
     const auto inputFiles = variables["input-file"].as< std::vector<Files::MaybeQuotedPath> >();
-    info.filename = inputFiles[0];
+    info.filename = inputFiles[0].u8string(); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
     if (inputFiles.size() > 1)
-        info.outname = inputFiles[1];
+        info.outname = inputFiles[1].u8string(); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
 
     if (const auto it = variables.find("raw"); it != variables.end())
         info.mRawFormat = ESM::parseFormat(it->second.as<std::string>());
diff --git a/apps/opencs/editor.cpp b/apps/opencs/editor.cpp
index 9a988991f0..8dee97bd46 100644
--- a/apps/opencs/editor.cpp
+++ b/apps/opencs/editor.cpp
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ std::pair<Files::PathContainer, std::vector<std::string> > CS::Editor::readConfi
     mDocumentManager.setEncoding(ToUTF8::calculateEncoding(mEncodingName));
     mFileDialog.setEncoding (QString::fromUtf8(mEncodingName.c_str()));
 
-    mDocumentManager.setResourceDir (mResources = variables["resources"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPath>());
+    mDocumentManager.setResourceDir (mResources = variables["resources"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPath>().u8string()); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
 
     if (variables["script-blacklist-use"].as<bool>())
         mDocumentManager.setBlacklistedScripts (
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ std::pair<Files::PathContainer, std::vector<std::string> > CS::Editor::readConfi
         dataDirs = asPathContainer(variables["data"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPathContainer>());
     }
 
-    Files::PathContainer::value_type local(variables["data-local"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPathContainer::value_type>());
+    Files::PathContainer::value_type local(variables["data-local"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPathContainer::value_type>().u8string()); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
     if (!local.empty())
     {
         std::filesystem::create_directories(local);
diff --git a/apps/openmw/main.cpp b/apps/openmw/main.cpp
index c327683bee..9700142ab8 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/main.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/main.cpp
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, OMW::Engine& engine, Files::Configurat
     {
         cfgMgr.readConfiguration(variables, desc, true);
 
-        Version::Version v = Version::getOpenmwVersion(variables["resources"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPath>());
+        Version::Version v = Version::getOpenmwVersion(variables["resources"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPath>().u8string()); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
         getRawStdout() << v.describe() << std::endl;
         return false;
     }
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, OMW::Engine& engine, Files::Configurat
     setupLogging(cfgMgr.getLogPath(), "OpenMW");
     MWGui::DebugWindow::startLogRecording();
 
-    Version::Version v = Version::getOpenmwVersion(variables["resources"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPath>());
+    Version::Version v = Version::getOpenmwVersion(variables["resources"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPath>().u8string()); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
     Log(Debug::Info) << v.describe();
 
     engine.setGrabMouse(!variables["no-grab"].as<bool>());
@@ -87,13 +87,13 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, OMW::Engine& engine, Files::Configurat
 
     Files::PathContainer dataDirs(asPathContainer(variables["data"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPathContainer>()));
 
-    Files::PathContainer::value_type local(variables["data-local"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPathContainer::value_type>());
+    Files::PathContainer::value_type local(variables["data-local"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPathContainer::value_type>().u8string()); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
     if (!local.empty())
         dataDirs.push_back(local);
 
     cfgMgr.filterOutNonExistingPaths(dataDirs);
 
-    engine.setResourceDir(variables["resources"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPath>());
+    engine.setResourceDir(variables["resources"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPath>().u8string()); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
     engine.setDataDirs(dataDirs);
 
     // fallback archives
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ bool parseOptions (int argc, char** argv, OMW::Engine& engine, Files::Configurat
     engine.setWarningsMode (variables["script-warn"].as<int>());
     engine.setScriptBlacklist (variables["script-blacklist"].as<StringsVector>());
     engine.setScriptBlacklistUse (variables["script-blacklist-use"].as<bool>());
-    engine.setSaveGameFile (variables["load-savegame"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPath>());
+    engine.setSaveGameFile (variables["load-savegame"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPath>().u8string());
 
     // other settings
     Fallback::Map::init(variables["fallback"].as<FallbackMap>().mMap);
diff --git a/apps/openmw_test_suite/mwworld/test_store.cpp b/apps/openmw_test_suite/mwworld/test_store.cpp
index b5fbf5a291..ba0abd293d 100644
--- a/apps/openmw_test_suite/mwworld/test_store.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw_test_suite/mwworld/test_store.cpp
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ struct ContentFileTest : public ::testing::Test
             dataDirs = asPathContainer(variables["data"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPathContainer>());
         }
 
-        Files::PathContainer::value_type local(variables["data-local"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPathContainer::value_type>());
+        Files::PathContainer::value_type local(variables["data-local"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPathContainer::value_type>().u8string());
         if (!local.empty())
             dataLocal.push_back(local);
 
diff --git a/components/files/configurationmanager.cpp b/components/files/configurationmanager.cpp
index 0fc228abee..6ceab167e5 100644
--- a/components/files/configurationmanager.cpp
+++ b/components/files/configurationmanager.cpp
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ void ConfigurationManager::readConfiguration(bpo::variables_map& variables,
         mergeComposingVariables(variables, composingVariables, description);
     }
 
-    mUserDataPath = variables["user-data"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPath>();
+    mUserDataPath = variables["user-data"].as<Files::MaybeQuotedPath>().u8string(); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
     if (mUserDataPath.empty())
     {
         if (!quiet)
@@ -451,7 +451,13 @@ std::istream& operator>> (std::istream& istream, MaybeQuotedPath& MaybeQuotedPat
 
 PathContainer asPathContainer(const MaybeQuotedPathContainer& MaybeQuotedPathContainer)
 {
-    return PathContainer(MaybeQuotedPathContainer.begin(), MaybeQuotedPathContainer.end());
+    PathContainer res;
+    res.reserve(MaybeQuotedPathContainer.size());
+    for (const auto & maybeQuotedPath : MaybeQuotedPathContainer)
+    {
+        res.emplace_back(maybeQuotedPath.u8string()); // This call to u8string is redundant, but required to build on MSVC 14.26 due to implementation bugs.
+    }
+    return res;
 }
 
 } /* namespace Files */
diff --git a/components/files/macospath.cpp b/components/files/macospath.cpp
index c0505dbea0..e6dc8e55b7 100644
--- a/components/files/macospath.cpp
+++ b/components/files/macospath.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include <pwd.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <filesystem>
+#include <fstream>
 
 #include <components/misc/strings/lower.hpp>
 
@@ -90,7 +91,7 @@ std::filesystem::path MacOsPath::getInstallPath() const
 
         if (std::filesystem::is_regular_file(wineDefaultRegistry))
         {
-            std::filesystem::ifstream file(wineDefaultRegistry);
+            std::ifstream file(wineDefaultRegistry);
             bool isRegEntry = false;
             std::string line;
             std::string mwpath;