Add your PO file
Drop one or more .po files onto the converter above, or browse for them. They load into browser memory only — nothing is uploaded, so there is no size-based pricing and no server queue.
PO to STRINGS
Converting a .po font to .strings repackages the same glyphs and metrics for a different delivery target. Free, private, and validated — the file never leaves your browser.
Private for supported formats — processed in your browser
Runs on your deviceConvert supported files
Drop PO files here
Batch files can each use a different output. Nothing uploads for local conversions.
Working inputs include camera RAW, browser-local audio/video, PDF, CBZ/CBR comics, office documents, ebooks, markup, 3D models, structured text, images, and archives.About converting GNU gettext translation to Apple strings localization
Converting a .po font to .strings repackages the same glyphs and metrics for a different delivery target. A .po file is a GNU gettext Portable Object: a plain-text translation catalog in which each entry pairs a msgid — the original string, which doubles as its own key — with a msgstr holding the translation. It is the format most open-source software is translated in, and it is designed to be readable and diffable in a normal editor.
A .strings file is Apple's localization resource: a flat list of "key" = "value"; statements, one per translatable string, usually named Localizable.strings and stored inside a per-language .lproj directory. It is what NSLocalizedString and its SwiftUI equivalents look up at runtime. For this route the practical draw is trivially simple grammar that any tool can read or write and native to Apple's toolchain with no build step beyond copying — balanced against no plural support at all — that requires a second file in a different format, which is worth knowing before you commit a large batch.
Why convert PO to STRINGS?
The practical trigger for this conversion is usually a mismatch: with .po, keying on source text means an English typo fix invalidates every translation of that string. Switching to .strings buys you trivially simple grammar that any tool can read or write, which is why it is the better fit for localising an existing iOS, iPadOS or macOS application. Because the conversion runs locally, trying it costs nothing but a few seconds of compute on your own machine.
PO vs STRINGS at a glance
| Aspect | GNU gettext translation (.po) | Apple strings localization (.strings) |
|---|---|---|
| Format type | Text-based — characters and structure, so there is no visual quality loss | Text-based — characters and structure, so there is no visual quality loss |
| How it stores data | entries are blank-line-separated blocks of msgid and msgstr, each a sequence of C-style quoted strings that concatenate across lines | each entry is `"key" = "value";` — the trailing semicolon is required, and both sides use C-style escapes |
| Strongest at | translating open-source software, where gettext is effectively the default | localising an existing iOS, iPadOS or macOS application |
| Weak spot | keying on source text means an English typo fix invalidates every translation of that string | no plural support at all — that requires a second file in a different format |
| Metadata | identifiers, source strings, translations and context are preserved. Header fields, translator comments, source references and flags such as fuzzy are not carried into formats that have nowhere to put them — converting a reviewed catalog to a mobile resource file loses the review state, not the translations | keys and translated values are preserved. Comments are not treated as structured notes, and plural rules cannot be represented — a catalog with plurals converted into .strings will lose the plural forms because the format has no way to hold them |
Pick STRINGS as the output
Select .strings in the output menu next to each file. The menu only offers targets this engine can genuinely produce, so if STRINGS is selectable, the route is real and validated.
Convert on your device
Press Convert. The font tables are parsed and rewritten locally with fonteditor-core; glyph outlines, hinting, and kerning survive the trip.
Verify and download
Each result is signature-checked before the download unlocks, so a failed encode can never masquerade as a valid STRINGS file. Outputs keep the original filename with the .strings extension.
PO to STRINGS questions, answered
Will converting PO to STRINGS lose quality?
There is no visual quality to lose — po is text-oriented and strings is text-oriented, so the question is structural fidelity. Text, ordering, and basic structure are preserved; complex layout, embedded objects, and styling beyond the target's model are simplified.
Is it private to convert PO files here?
Yes — the .po file is processed inside your browser tab and never uploaded. The font tables are parsed and rewritten locally with fonteditor-core; glyph outlines, hinting, and kerning survive the trip. Close the tab and the file is gone from memory.
Where will the STRINGS file work?
Xcode reads and writes .strings natively, and every translation platform supports it because iOS work demands it. Outside Apple's ecosystem support is incidental. Novus Convert parses the quoted key/value grammar locally, tolerating the comment form, and converts to and from the other localization formats.
Will the STRINGS file be bigger or smaller than my PO?
It depends on the content: each entry is `"key" = "value";` — the trailing semicolon is required, and both sides use C-style escapes. Convert one representative file first and compare before batch-processing a large set.
What happens to the metadata in my PO file?
In .po, identifiers, source strings, translations and context are preserved. Header fields, translator comments, source references and flags such as fuzzy are not carried into formats that have nowhere to put them — converting a reviewed catalog to a mobile resource file loses the review state, not the translations. Re-encoding through the browser pipeline does not carry embedded metadata into the output, which doubles as a privacy scrub — check the exported file if you specifically need tags preserved.
Can I convert STRINGS back to PO?
Yes — the reverse route exists as a separate tool. Bear in mind that round-tripping .po → .strings → .po is not a perfect undo when any lossy step is involved; keep your original if fidelity matters.