Add your XLF file
Drop one or more .xlf 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.
XLF to ANDROIDXML
Converting a .xlf font to .androidxml 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 XLF 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 XLIFF 1.2 to Android string resources
Converting a .xlf font to .androidxml repackages the same glyphs and metrics for a different delivery target. A .xlf file is an XLIFF document — the OASIS XML standard for moving translation work between tools. Each translatable string becomes a trans-unit holding a source element and, once translated, a target element, wrapped in a file element that records the source and target languages.
An Android string resource file — catalogued here as .androidxml — is the res/values/strings.xml of an Android application: a <resources> element containing <string name=…> entries, plus optional <plurals> and <string-array> groups. Because every Android project names the file strings.xml, there is no real extension to key on, so Novus Convert recognises these by the .android.xml suffix and files them under .androidxml to keep them distinct from generic XML. For this route the practical draw is integrated with Android's whole resource-qualifier system, so locale selection is automatic and real plural support using the CLDR categories rather than a bolted-on convention — balanced against escaping rules are a common source of subtly broken translations, which is worth knowing before you commit a large batch.
Why convert XLF to ANDROIDXML?
The practical trigger for this conversion is usually a mismatch: with .xlf, verbose — several lines of markup per string. Switching to .androidxml buys you integrated with Android's whole resource-qualifier system, so locale selection is automatic, which is why it is the better fit for localising an Android application. Because the conversion runs locally, trying it costs nothing but a few seconds of compute on your own machine.
XLF vs ANDROIDXML at a glance
| Aspect | XLIFF 1.2 (.xlf) | Android string resources (.androidxml) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | the root xliff element declares a version; file elements carry source-language and target-language attributes | entries are <string name=…> with the translatable text as element content; the name is the R.string identifier the code references |
| Strongest at | sending strings to a translation agency and getting reviewed work back | localising an Android application |
| Weak spot | verbose — several lines of markup per string | escaping rules are a common source of subtly broken translations |
| Metadata | unit identifiers, source and target text and the declared source/target languages are preserved. Translation state, notes and inline placeholder markup are not carried into flat key-value formats, which have nowhere to record them | string names and their text are preserved. Plural groups, string arrays, the translatable attribute and the directory-derived locale are not represented in flat catalog targets |
Pick ANDROIDXML as the output
Select .androidxml in the output menu next to each file. The menu only offers targets this engine can genuinely produce, so if ANDROIDXML 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 ANDROIDXML file. Outputs keep the original filename with the .androidxml extension.
XLF to ANDROIDXML questions, answered
Will converting XLF to ANDROIDXML lose quality?
There is no visual quality to lose — xlf is text-oriented and androidxml 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 XLF files here?
Yes — the .xlf 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 ANDROIDXML file work?
Android Studio and the Gradle build read these natively, and translation platforms support them widely. Novus Convert parses the <resources>/<string> structure locally, rejects documents carrying a doctype or custom entities, and converts to and from the other localization formats; plurals and string arrays are outside the flat one-string-per-key model and are not carried across.
Will the ANDROIDXML file be bigger or smaller than my XLF?
It depends on the content: entries are <string name=…> with the translatable text as element content; the name is the R.string identifier the code references. Convert one representative file first and compare before batch-processing a large set.
What happens to the metadata in my XLF file?
In .xlf, unit identifiers, source and target text and the declared source/target languages are preserved. Translation state, notes and inline placeholder markup are not carried into flat key-value formats, which have nowhere to record 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 ANDROIDXML back to XLF?
Yes — the reverse route exists as a separate tool. Bear in mind that round-tripping .xlf → .androidxml → .xlf is not a perfect undo when any lossy step is involved; keep your original if fidelity matters.