Add your STRINGS file
Drop one or more .strings 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.
STRINGS to PO
Converting a .strings font to .po 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 STRINGS 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 Apple strings localization to GNU gettext translation
Converting a .strings font to .po repackages the same glyphs and metrics for a different delivery target. 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.
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. For this route the practical draw is human-readable and diff-friendly, unlike every XML alternative and untranslated entries degrade to the English source instead of showing a raw key — balanced against keying on source text means an English typo fix invalidates every translation of that string, which is worth knowing before you commit a large batch.
Why convert STRINGS to PO?
The practical trigger for this conversion is usually a mismatch: with .strings, no plural support at all — that requires a second file in a different format. Switching to .po buys you human-readable and diff-friendly, unlike every XML alternative, which is why it is the better fit for translating open-source software, where gettext is effectively the default. Because the conversion runs locally, trying it costs nothing but a few seconds of compute on your own machine.
STRINGS vs PO at a glance
| Aspect | Apple strings localization (.strings) | GNU gettext translation (.po) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | each entry is `"key" = "value";` — the trailing semicolon is required, and both sides use C-style escapes | entries are blank-line-separated blocks of msgid and msgstr, each a sequence of C-style quoted strings that concatenate across lines |
| Strongest at | localising an existing iOS, iPadOS or macOS application | translating open-source software, where gettext is effectively the default |
| Weak spot | no plural support at all — that requires a second file in a different format | keying on source text means an English typo fix invalidates every translation of that string |
| Metadata | 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 | 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 |
Pick PO as the output
Select .po in the output menu next to each file. The menu only offers targets this engine can genuinely produce, so if PO 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 PO file. Outputs keep the original filename with the .po extension.
STRINGS to PO questions, answered
Will converting STRINGS to PO lose quality?
There is no visual quality to lose — strings is text-oriented and po 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 STRINGS files here?
Yes — the .strings 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 PO file work?
Gettext runtimes exist for essentially every language, and desktop editors (Poedit, Lokalize, Gtranslator) plus every major translation platform read .po directly. Novus Convert parses the catalog locally, keys entries on msgctxt where present and on msgid otherwise, and converts between it and the other nine localization formats without uploading strings that may not be public yet.
Will the PO file be bigger or smaller than my STRINGS?
It depends on the content: entries are blank-line-separated blocks of msgid and msgstr, each a sequence of C-style quoted strings that concatenate across lines. Convert one representative file first and compare before batch-processing a large set.
What happens to the metadata in my STRINGS file?
In .strings, 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. 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 PO back to STRINGS?
Yes — the reverse route exists as a separate tool. Bear in mind that round-tripping .strings → .po → .strings is not a perfect undo when any lossy step is involved; keep your original if fidelity matters.