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 XLIFF
Converting a .po font to .xliff 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 XLIFF 2.0
Converting a .po font to .xliff 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 .xliff file is an XLIFF document written with the long extension, most often at version 2.0 — the redesigned OASIS standard in which each translatable string is a unit containing one or more segments, each with its own source and target. The payload matches the .xlf form; the structure is what changed. For this route the practical draw is a much cleaner specification than 1.2, with a genuinely small mandatory core and modules make optional capability explicit instead of implied — balanced against less widely supported than 1.2 despite being the newer standard, which is worth knowing before you commit a large batch.
Why convert PO to XLIFF?
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 .xliff buys you a much cleaner specification than 1.2, with a genuinely small mandatory core, which is why it is the better fit for interchange with tooling built against the 2.0 core. Because the conversion runs locally, trying it costs nothing but a few seconds of compute on your own machine.
PO vs XLIFF at a glance
| Aspect | GNU gettext translation (.po) | XLIFF 2.0 (.xliff) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | the root xliff element carries srcLang and trgLang, replacing 1.2's source-language and target-language on file |
| Strongest at | translating open-source software, where gettext is effectively the default | interchange with tooling built against the 2.0 core |
| Weak spot | keying on source text means an English typo fix invalidates every translation of that string | less widely supported than 1.2 despite being the newer standard |
| 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 | unit identifiers, source and target text and the declared languages are preserved. Module data — change tracking, glossary entries, translation candidates — and inline markup are not represented in flat key-value targets |
Pick XLIFF as the output
Select .xliff in the output menu next to each file. The menu only offers targets this engine can genuinely produce, so if XLIFF 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 XLIFF file. Outputs keep the original filename with the .xliff extension.
PO to XLIFF questions, answered
Will converting PO to XLIFF lose quality?
There is no visual quality to lose — po is text-oriented and xliff 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 XLIFF file work?
Support is good in modern translation management systems and patchier in older desktop tools, so 1.2 remains the safer choice when a recipient's capabilities are unknown. Novus Convert parses 2.0 units and segments alongside 1.2 trans-units, refuses documents with a doctype or custom entities, and converts locally to the other nine localization formats.
Will the XLIFF file be bigger or smaller than my PO?
It depends on the content: the root xliff element carries srcLang and trgLang, replacing 1.2's source-language and target-language on file. 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 XLIFF back to PO?
Yes — the reverse route exists as a separate tool. Bear in mind that round-tripping .po → .xliff → .po is not a perfect undo when any lossy step is involved; keep your original if fidelity matters.