How to Convert Preeti to Unicode in MS Word (and Back Again)

Updated 7 October 2026 · 5 min read

Turn an old Preeti Word document into Unicode Nepali that works everywhere, or turn Unicode back into Preeti for a form or template that needs it, without retyping a word.

Many Nepali documents are still typed in Preeti, a legacy font that draws Nepali letters in place of English keys. Open one on a computer without Preeti, or paste it into email or Facebook, and you get gibberish like g]kfn. Converting to Unicode fixes it for good: Unicode Nepali shows correctly on every phone, website and computer.

Preeti to Unicode in Word

  1. Open the Preeti document in Word and select the text you want to convert (Ctrl+A for everything).
  2. Copy it (Ctrl+C) and paste it into the Preeti to Unicode Converter. It looks like English letters in the box, which is normal.
  3. Copy the Unicode result with the Copy button.
  4. Back in Word, paste it over the original (Ctrl+V).
  5. With the text still selected, change the font to a Unicode Nepali font such as Kalimati, Mangal or Nirmala UI. Nirmala UI and Mangal come with Windows.

Copy and paste carries text, not layout. For documents with tables or columns, convert one table or section at a time and paste each back into place, so the layout survives.

Unicode to Preeti in Word

Sometimes you need to go the other way, for example to fill in an office template, a PageMaker layout or a form that was designed in Preeti.

  1. Copy your Unicode Nepali text from anywhere: a website, an email, or a Word document.
  2. Paste it into the Unicode to Preeti Converter and copy the result.
  3. Paste it into Word and change the font to Preeti. The Preeti font must be installed on that computer.

Things to check after converting

  • English words: Preeti has no English letters, so English words inside a Preeti document come out as Nepali characters. Retype them after converting.
  • Numbers: check that digits came out the way you want. The Unicode to Preeti converter writes them as Nepali digits.
  • Other legacy fonts: if the document used Kantipur, Sagarmatha or Himalb instead of Preeti, choose that font in the converter before pasting.

Starting from scratch? You don't need Preeti at all. Type Nepali in Unicode with an English keyboard using the Roman to Nepali converter, as explained in our guide to typing Nepali Unicode.