Shree Lipi to Unicode Converter (Free Online, Hindi and Marathi)

Paste text typed in the Shree Lipi (Shree-Dev) font and get normal Unicode Hindi back in one click. The same page also converts Unicode text into Shree Lipi, so you can go in either direction. It is free, needs no login, and runs in your browser.

ShreeLipi text

Unicode text

What Is Shree Lipi?

Shree Lipi is a Devanagari typing and publishing software from Modular Infotech, a company based in Pune. For many years it was a common choice for Hindi and Marathi typing in newspapers, printing presses, government offices and DTP studios. The text it produces uses fonts from the Shree-Dev series, and these fonts are not Unicode.

A non-Unicode font stores Hindi using ordinary English keyboard characters and relies on the font file to draw them as Devanagari letters. This is why a Shree Lipi file looks like a pile of strange symbols and Latin letters when you open it on a computer that does not have the font, or when you paste it into a website or WhatsApp. The characters in the file are not real Hindi characters, so another program has no way of knowing what they mean.

What Is Unicode and Why Convert to It?

Unicode gives every Devanagari letter, matra and conjunct part its own fixed code. Text typed on a phone keyboard, in Google Docs, in Microsoft Word with the Mangal font, or on any modern website is Unicode. It looks the same on every device because the meaning is stored in the text itself, not in a font file.

Once your old Shree Lipi text is in Unicode, you can:

Open it on any phone or computer without installing a font.
Search for words in it, use find and replace, and run a spell check.
Publish it on a website or blog so that search engines can read it.
Share it on WhatsApp, Facebook, email and other apps without it turning into symbols.
Edit it later in any modern editor, such as Google Docs or Word.

How to Use This Shree Lipi to Unicode Converter

Copy the text from your Shree Lipi document. You only need the text. The font name does not matter once you paste it into a plain text box.
Paste it into the box labelled ShreeLipi text.
Click Convert to Unicode.
Your Hindi or Marathi text appears in the Unicode text box.
Read it once, then use Copy or Download to take it wherever you need it.

The conversion for long text is done in sections of about 6000 characters, so large pastes do not freeze the page.

How to Convert Unicode to Shree Lipi

The tool also works the other way round. This is useful when a press or typesetter still uses Shree Lipi software and needs the text in that format.

Paste your Unicode Hindi or Marathi text into the Unicode text box. This is the lower box.
Click Convert to ShreeLipi.
The converted text appears in the upper ShreeLipi text box.
Copy it and paste it into your Shree Lipi or DTP file, then apply the Shree-Dev font to see proper Hindi letters.

Remember: the upper box is the ShreeLipi side and the lower box is the Unicode side. Each button reads from one box and writes into the other.

Shree Lipi vs Unicode: Main Differences

Point	Shree Lipi (Shree-Dev)	Unicode (Mangal, Nirmala UI, etc.)
Type	Legacy font encoding	International standard
Needs a font installed	Yes	No, works with common system fonts
Works on websites and apps	No	Yes
Searchable and spell-checkable	No	Yes
Typical use today	Old files, some printing presses and DTP work	Everyday typing, web, mobile, office documents

Is It the Same as Mangal, Kruti Dev or Gautami?

Mangal

Mangal is a Unicode font that comes with Windows. Text typed in Mangal is already Unicode, so it does not need to be converted to Unicode again. If you need Mangal text in Shree Lipi format, paste it into the Unicode text box and click Convert to ShreeLipi.

Kruti Dev

Kruti Dev is another legacy Hindi font, but it uses a different key mapping from Shree Lipi. The same keystroke gives a different letter in each font, so you cannot just switch the font name. This tool does not convert directly between the two. The safe route is to convert the Shree Lipi text to Unicode here first, and then run that Unicode text through a Unicode to Kruti Dev converter.

Gautami

Gautami is a Telugu font that ships with Windows, and it is not related to Shree Lipi Devanagari. This tool only maps Devanagari, so it will not convert Telugu text.

Languages Supported

The conversion table in this tool covers Devanagari characters, so it works for Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit text typed with the Shree-Dev fonts. Gujarati, Telugu, Bengali and other scripts use different fonts and different mappings, and they are not handled here.

What Gets Handled During Conversion

Devanagari has a few rules that make simple letter-for-letter replacement fail. The converter deals with the main ones:

The short "i" matra (ि): in legacy fonts it is typed before the consonant, but in Unicode it comes after it. The tool moves it to the correct place.
Half letters and conjuncts: combinations such as क्ष, ज्ञ, त्र, प्र and द्ध are converted into the proper sequence of Unicode characters with the halant.
The half "r" (reph, as in कर्म): in legacy fonts it is a separate mark placed after the letter, but in Unicode it is written before it. The tool repositions it.
Matras and signs: aa, ee, u, oo, e, ai, o, au, anusvara, visarga and chandrabindu are mapped to their Unicode equivalents.
Nukta letters: letters such as ज़, ड़ and ढ़ are mapped to their Unicode forms.

Tips for Getting Clean Results

Copy the Shree Lipi text from the original file as plain text. Hidden formatting from Word or PageMaker rarely causes trouble, but plain text keeps things simple.
Do not mix English sentences with Shree Lipi text in the same paste if you can avoid it. Legacy fonts use Latin letters for Hindi, so the tool cannot tell which is which, and real English words may get changed.
Convert in smaller parts if your document is very long, and check each part before moving on.
After converting, paste the result into Word or Google Docs with a Unicode font such as Mangal or Nirmala UI selected, and read it through once.
Look closely at conjuncts, the half r, and words with the short i matra. These are the spots where legacy files most often differ.

Where This Converter Is Useful

Old documents: newspaper archives, office letters, court notices and typed records that exist only in Shree Lipi files.
Authors and publishers: manuscripts that were typed years ago and now need to go into an ebook, blog or modern layout.
Website owners: printed Hindi or Marathi material that has to be published online as real, searchable text.
Government and school offices: circulars and forms that are still saved in old DTP formats.
DTP operators: client files that arrive in one format and need to go out in another.
Students and researchers: older academic material that is not available in Unicode.

Privacy

All conversion runs in your browser with JavaScript. The text you paste is not sent to our server and is not stored. When you close or refresh the page, the text is gone.

Limitations

Legacy fonts were never standardised, and Shree Lipi has several font versions with slightly different layouts. This tool follows the common Shree-Dev mapping, so a very old or unusual version may give a few wrong characters. Special symbols, rare conjuncts, and text that mixes several legacy fonts may need manual fixes after conversion. For important documents such as legal papers or print jobs, always compare the converted text with the original before using it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this Shree Lipi to Unicode converter free?

Yes. There is no charge, no login and no limit on how many times you can use it.

Why does my Shree Lipi text show strange symbols?

Shree Lipi text is stored as English-looking characters, and the Shree-Dev font draws them as Hindi letters. Without the font, you only see the raw characters. Converting the text to Unicode fixes this because Unicode does not depend on a special font.

Do I need to install the Shree Lipi font to use this tool?

No. To convert to Unicode you only need the text. You will only need the font if you want to see the Shree Lipi text as Hindi letters on your own screen, or if you convert Unicode into Shree Lipi for a press.

Can I convert Unicode text back to Shree Lipi?

Yes. Paste your Unicode text in the lower box and click Convert to ShreeLipi. The result appears in the upper box.

Does it support Gujarati?

No. The tool works for Devanagari text, which covers Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit. Gujarati fonts use a different mapping.

Can I convert Shree Lipi directly to Kruti Dev?

Not on this page. Convert to Unicode first, then use a Unicode to Kruti Dev converter. Going through Unicode is the more reliable way to keep matras and conjuncts correct.

Is the text I paste saved anywhere?

No. The conversion happens in your browser, and nothing is uploaded or stored.

How much text can I convert at once?

There is no fixed limit. Long text is processed in sections of about 6000 characters. For very large files, converting in parts makes it easier to check the result.

A few characters came out wrong. What should I do?

Fix those words by hand in your editor. This usually happens with rare conjuncts, special symbols or files made with an uncommon Shree Lipi font version.

Can I use this on my phone?

Yes, the page works in mobile browsers. Copy the text from your file, paste it into the first box, convert, and copy the result.

Related Tool

If you work with another legacy Hindi font used in wedding cards and banners, try our AMS Font Converter, which converts Unicode Hindi text into AMS font format.