Why InPage text turns into symbols
InPage has been the standard Urdu page-making software in Pakistan for decades, especially for newspapers, books, magazines and school papers. Older versions, mainly InPage 2000 and InPage 2009, store Urdu letters with their own private encoding rather than Unicode. Inside InPage everything looks perfect, but the moment you copy that text into MS Word, a website, WhatsApp or Facebook, the other program does not understand the encoding and shows Latin symbols instead.
Unicode is the international standard every modern device uses. Once your Urdu is in Unicode, it can be searched on Google, edited in Word, published on WordPress and read on any phone. This converter swaps every InPage character code for its matching Unicode Urdu letter, then cleans up the small issues InPage text usually carries, such as reversed numbers and missing spaces after ں.
How to convert InPage to Unicode
Method 1: copy and paste (works best)
- Open your file in InPage, press Ctrl + A to select the text and Ctrl + C to copy it.
- Paste it into the left box above with Ctrl + V. It will look like random symbols. That is expected.
- The Unicode Urdu appears on the right straight away. Press Copy result and paste it into Word, Google Docs or your website.
Method 2: upload the .inp file
Click the upload area and choose your .inp file. The tool reads the Urdu text stored inside the file and converts it. This is handy for old archives, but a file can also contain styling and layout data, so if a few lines look out of place, use Method 1 for that page.
Using InPage 3 or newer? Newer versions of InPage can work with Unicode text directly, so you may not need a converter at all. Copy the text and paste it into Word to check first.
Converting Unicode back to InPage
Sometimes the job goes the other way: a client sends Urdu typed on a phone or in Word, and the composer needs it inside InPage 2009 to set the page. Select Unicode → InPage, paste the Urdu, then press Copy result and paste into InPage. The output will look like symbols in this box; that is the InPage encoding, and InPage will show it as Urdu.
What the clean-up options do
| Option | What it fixes |
|---|---|
| Fix reversed numbers | InPage stores Urdu digits right to left, so ۲۰۲۶ can come out as ۶۲۰۲. This puts them back in the right order. |
| Remove double spaces | InPage layouts often add extra spaces for justification. This keeps one space between words. |
| Fix bari ye inside words | Replaces a wrongly placed ے in the middle of a word with ی. |
| Remove aerab | Strips zer, zabar, pesh, tashdeed and similar marks. Leave this off for Quranic text or poetry where the marks matter. |
| Remove kashida | Deletes the stretching line (ـ) that InPage uses to widen words in justified lines. |
Which Urdu font to use after converting
Unicode text needs a Unicode Urdu font to look like InPage's Nastaliq. Popular free choices are Jameel Noori Nastaleeq, Noto Nastaliq Urdu by Google and Alvi Nastaleeq. In Word, select all the text and pick one of these from the font list. On a website, Noto Nastaliq Urdu can be loaded from Google Fonts.
Who uses an InPage converter
- Newspaper and magazine teams who publish print articles on their websites.
- Teachers and schools moving old question papers and notes into Word or Google Docs.
- Writers and poets sharing their InPage work on Facebook, blogs and WhatsApp.
- Composers and printing shops who receive Unicode text from clients and need it in InPage.
Limitations to know about
The converter follows the public InPage 2000/2009 character table, the same mapping used by open-source converters such as the one shared by the Center for Language Engineering, UET Lahore. Very rare symbols, custom ligatures and text inside images or text boxes may not come through. Always read the converted text once before printing or publishing, and if spacing looks uneven, run it through the Urdu text cleaner.
Frequently asked questions
Is this InPage to Unicode converter free?
Yes, it is free with no sign-up and no word limit.
Are my InPage files uploaded to your server?
No. Both pasted text and .inp files are processed inside your browser with JavaScript. Nothing is sent to our server.
Why does the pasted InPage text look like random symbols?
InPage 2000 and 2009 use their own character codes. Other programs read those codes as Latin symbols. The converter translates each code into the correct Unicode Urdu letter.
Which InPage versions are supported?
The converter is built for text in the InPage 2000 and InPage 2009 encoding. InPage 3 and newer versions can handle Unicode themselves.
The numbers in my text are backwards. How do I fix it?
Keep the "Fix reversed numbers" option ticked. InPage stores Urdu digits in reverse order, and this option puts them back.
Can I convert Unicode Urdu into InPage?
Yes. Choose Unicode → InPage, paste your Urdu, copy the result and paste it into InPage 2000 or 2009.