How to type Nepali on a computer
Three ways to type Nepali on Windows or Mac: a Unicode keyboard, the Preeti font, or romanized typing in the browser. Which one to pick and how to set it up.
Pick the method first
There are three ways to type Nepali on a computer, and the right one depends on where the text goes. Unicode is the standard for email, websites, Google Docs and government portals. Preeti is a font that many offices still require for printed documents and older templates. Romanized typing turns English spelling such as "namaste" into नमस्ते and needs no setup at all.
Unicode keyboard on Windows and Mac
On Windows, open Settings, go to Time and language, then Language and region, add Nepali, and add the Nepali keyboard under its options. On a Mac, open System Settings, choose Keyboard, then Input Sources, and add Nepali. Switch keyboards with the language shortcut and the text you type is Unicode Devanagari that works everywhere.
The Windows and Mac Nepali keyboards follow the traditional Unicode layout. The InScript layout, used across Indian languages, is also available on both systems. NepaliType practices both, so you can learn the one your computer uses.
Preeti font
Preeti is not a keyboard, it is a font. You install the Preeti font file, pick it in the document, and type English keys that the font draws as Devanagari. The file stores English letters, so the text only looks Nepali while the font is applied. That is why Preeti text turns into gibberish in email or on a website.
Preeti remains the layout of the Lok Sewa typing test and of many offices. If your work needs it, learn it in the Preeti practice mode and convert finished documents with the Preeti to Unicode converter when they must go online.
- Install the Preeti font and select it in the document.
- Type with the Preeti key positions, which the keyboard guide shows.
- Convert to Unicode before sending the text anywhere that does not have the font.
Romanized typing in the browser
If you only need to write a message or a short note, romanized typing is the fastest start. Open the Type in Nepali tool, write words the way they sound in English, and copy the Devanagari result. Nothing is installed and the output is Unicode.