Convert PO to String Catalog online
Upload a gettext PO/POT file and download it as Xcode String Catalog (.xcstrings). Translation keys, plurals and placeholders are preserved. Free, no account needed.
Pick the source format or let the converter detect it from the file.
Used when the source format holds one language per file. Also used as the source language for XLIFF output.
Choose the format you want to download.
String Catalogs were introduced in Xcode 15 and store all languages, plural variants and device variations of a project in one JSON-based .xcstrings file.
Need it the other way round? Convert String Catalog to PO.
From: gettext PO/POT
gettext PO files pair every msgid with a msgstr and support plural forms, contexts and translator comments. They are the standard in Python, PHP, WordPress, Django and desktop Linux software.
Used by: Django, WordPress, PHP, Python, GNU tools. One language per file. Read the PO format guide.
# Single line
msgctxt "My translation context"
msgid "My translation key"
msgstr "My translation message"
# Multiple lines
msgid ""
"The input text "
"split to several "
"lines"
msgstr ""
"Translation "
"can also be splitted."To: Xcode String Catalog (.xcstrings)
String Catalogs were introduced in Xcode 15 and store all languages, plural variants and device variations of a project in one JSON-based .xcstrings file.
Used by: Xcode 15+, SwiftUI, iOS 17+. All languages in one file. Read the String Catalog format guide.
{
"sourceLanguage" : "en",
"strings" : {
"hello world" : {
"comment" : "My Hello World description",
"extractionState" : "manual",
"localizations" : {
"pl" : {
"stringUnit" : {
"state" : "translated",
"value" : "Witaj Świecie!"
}
}
}
}
},
"version" : "1.0"
}How to convert PO to String Catalog
- Drop your .po file into the converter above, or paste its content.
- Confirm the language of the file. It is guessed from the file name, for example
de.jsonormessages_pt-BR.properties. - Click Convert. You get a single .xcstrings file with all languages.
- Preview the result, copy it or download the file.
What changes between PO and String Catalog
- String Catalog keeps all languages together. A single PO file produces a String Catalog file with one language column; upload more files to a SimpleLocalize project to merge languages.
Convert and translate in one place
If you need the String Catalog file in more languages, the fastest route is a free SimpleLocalize project: import the PO file, add languages, run auto-translation with DeepL, Google Translate, OpenAI, Claude or Gemini, and download the result as String Catalog. The CLI does the same from CI with upload and download commands, so the conversion becomes part of your build. See also translating PO files.
Frequently asked questions
Is the converter free?
Yes. There is no signup and no limit on the number of conversions beyond a few requests per second.
Are my files stored?
No. The file is parsed in memory, converted and returned in the same request. Nothing is written to disk or a database.
What about plurals and placeholders?
Plural forms are normalized to ICU message syntax and written back in the native form of String Catalog. Placeholders are kept, and Apple and Android specific syntax is translated between platforms. Read more in the pluralization guide.
Convert PO to other formats
Translate your String Catalog files
- Import PO or String Catalog files into a free project
- Auto-translate with DeepL, Google, OpenAI, Claude or Gemini
- Download in any of the supported formats or publish to the CDN