THL Toolbox > Fonts & Related Issues > Tibetan Scripts, Fonts & Related Issues > Tibetan Input Tools for Windows
Tibetan Input Tools for Windows
Contributor(s): THL Staff.
Simply having a Tibetan font does not mean that you can now use Tibetan in a computer. You also need a keyboard or input mechanism to efficiently type in Tibetan, and you also need that input mechanism to work with the various types of software you typically use. One of the problems concerning the use of Tibetan fonts in digital contexts has been the limited and non-standard nature of Tibetan script input tools and software. Usually keyboards are also platform-specific, so that they only work for Windows, Mac, or Macintosh. This page is focused on the Windows operating system and on solutions that work with Unicode Tibetan fonts. To read about the general methods of Tibetan keyboards – such as Wylie, Sambhota, etc. – please see Tibetan Input System Principles. For input tools in other operating system environments, see Tibetan Input Tools for Linux, Tibetan Input Tools for Macintosh, and Tibetan Input Tools for Browsers or Cross-Platform. For a survey of pre-Unicode Windows input systems for Tibetan, see Legacy Tibetan Input Methods for Windows. To read about using Tibetan Unicode in Windows in general, see Using Tibetan in Windows.
Tise: Tibetan Wylie Input Utility
Tise (pronounced "tee-say") is an Unicode Tibetan input utility for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10 developed by Gregory Mokhin and based upon the 
EWTS Transliteration System. Tise intercepts user input and converts EWTS sequences into proper codes for Tibetan text to be displayed using a Unicode Opentype Tibetan font. Tise works in 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7; it also works in Windows 8 and 10, though we have not tested these. There is also a 32-bit version that works in XP. Tise is available for free download (58 KB, v. 2.0, built 20 Nov 2012). Before using Tise you will need to unzip tise.zip archive into a directory of your choice and install a Tibetan Unicode OpenType font, for example, Tibetan Machine Uni, licensed under GPL. Make sure that Arial Unicode font is not installed, otherwise it will interfere with proper operation of Tibetan Machine Uni font. For detailed instructions refer to readme.txt, available online and also included in the zip archive.
For more information as well as downloads, see the Tise home page.
Wylie Word: A Word for Windows Accessory
Wylie Word is a Microsoft Word for Windows template containing macros that allow one to enter Tibetan script directly into a Word document, as well as convert transliteration to Tibetan script or Tibetan script to transliteration. The macro runs on Windows 95+ machines with Word 2000 or later. There is presently no Macintosh version available. The latest version, 2.1 beta, allows for the entry of Unicode Tibetan using EWTS Transliteration System. Tibetan transliteration is converted in block or as one types. The earlier versions produce Tibetan only in the legacy Tibetan Machine Web font.
Specific features of WylieWord (versions 2.0+) include:
- Works in Windows 7 64-bit and 32-bit operating systems.
- Easy-to-use installer
- Allows entry of Unicode Tibetan (only version 2.1 beta)
- Fully compatible with mouse (unlike version 1.0)
- Easily edit mixed Tibetan/English text
- Easily type Tibetan punctuation and Sanskrit stacks
- Convert Wylie transliterations to Tibetan script and vice versa
- Search for Tibetan text
- Produce pronunciations from Tibetan script or Wylie
- "Interlineal mode" helps create aligned translation texts, with Tibetan, Wylie, and pronunciation produced automatically. This is useful for language learning and for preparing liturgy for use by non-Tibetan-speakers.
- Facility for easily entering Unicode Latin diacritics; this is useful in Sanskrit transliterations.
For further information as well as downloads, see the Wylie Word homepage.
Denjong TibType
This input systems works in Windows 7 64-bit as well as 32-bit. It works much the same way Tise does. Documentation and download from Denjong TibType
The Java-Based Jskad Editor
Jskad (pronounce "jay-gay") is a java-based text editor for working with Tibetan text. It also contains a converter for switching between formats such as transliteration to Unicode or from earlier legacy fonts to Unicode and back. For further information as well as downloads, see the Jskad Editor homepage.
Dzongkha Unicode Keyboard for Windows XP
A system keyboard designed for Windows XP that allows for the entry of Tibetan or Dzongkha text through using a standard Bhutanese layout. The keyboard was created by Chris Fynn, using Microsoft's Keyboard Layout Creator or MSKLC. It comes in a self-installing file. Once installed, the keyboard can be assigned to any language that is not used on one's machine, such as possibly "Faroese" or "Kokani". The keyboard is then activated by switching to that language through the language-bar. The installer, keymap, and source files are available at Dzongkha Unicode Keyboard .
For further information as well as downloads, see the Dzongkha Unicode Keyboard homepage. As the Dzongkha keyboard can be installed as a system keyboard, you can see detailed installation instructions at Installing a Tibetan system keyboard in Windows XP (Tibetan version of this document available at Installing a Tibetan system keyboard in Windows XP in Tibetan).
Keyman Keyboards (Unicode and Tibetan Machine)
Chris Walker has created a series of keyboards for entering Tibetan script in Windows applications. The keyboards use Tavultesoft Keyman and are available at Tavultesoft. Installation is simple, and the keyboards can be invoked either through a keyboard shortcut or an icon. These keyboards enable the user to enter Tibetan using either a Unicode Tibetan font or the Tibetan Machine font. The following two keyboard layouts are available for Unicode:
- Sambhota Keymap #1
- THL Extended Wylie
For further information on and downloads of Chris Walker’s keyboards, click Keyman.
Another set of Keyman Keyboards for entering Unicode Tibetan has been made available by Peter Hauer from Linguasoft. Go here for further information on and download of Peter Hauer’s keyboards.
In order to use any of these keyboards, the proper Tibetan font needs to be installed. See our THL Toolbox Fonts Page. One can also view descriptions of: