Urdu Text Encoding Checker

Check your Urdu text for signs of an encoding problem, such as the replacement character or the garbled letters that mean the encoding was read wrong.

Quick Answer

The Urdu Text Encoding Checker looks for the tell-tale signs that text was decoded with the wrong encoding. It counts the replacement characters that stand for lost bytes, flags the garbled Latin letters that appear when Urdu is read as the wrong encoding, and shows the size of the text in UTF-8 bytes. Everything runs in your browser.

Check Text Encoding

Paste text to check for encoding problems.

Paste any text, including text that looks garbled.0 characters
Options

Encoding report

Health
Replacement chars
0
Mojibake signs
0
UTF-8 bytes
0
Enter text to check.

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    Your text is checked right here in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, saved, or shared.

    What the Urdu Text Encoding Checker Does

    The Urdu Text Encoding Checker looks for signs that text was decoded with the wrong encoding. It counts the replacement characters, the small diamonds with a question mark that stand for bytes that could not be decoded, and it flags the garbled Latin letters that appear when Urdu is read as a Western encoding. It also shows the text size in UTF-8 bytes.

    Encoding problems make Urdu look like a string of odd Latin letters or a run of question marks, and this checker tells you which has happened.

    Everything runs on your own device. Your text is never uploaded or stored, so it stays private while you check it.

    How to Check Encoding

    1. Paste your text. Enter the text you want to check, even if it looks garbled.
    2. Read the health. See at once whether the text looks clean or damaged.
    3. Check the signs. See the count of replacement characters and mojibake signs.
    4. Copy or download. Copy the report, or save it as a text file.
    Tip: If the checker flags mojibake, the file was likely saved as UTF-8 but opened as a Western encoding.

    The Replacement Character

    The replacement character, a diamond with a question mark, appears when a byte could not be decoded into a character. A run of these means the text lost data during a conversion, and the original characters cannot be recovered from the text alone.

    Mojibake

    Mojibake is the garbled result when text saved in one encoding is read in another. Urdu saved as UTF-8 but read as a Western encoding turns into a string of odd Latin letters with accents. The checker flags these Latin-supplement characters, which do not belong in clean Urdu or English.

    The UTF-8 Byte Length

    The checker shows how many bytes the text takes in UTF-8, the standard encoding for the web. Urdu letters take two bytes each, so the byte length is larger than the character count. This is useful when a field or a database has a byte limit rather than a character limit.

    A Worked Example

    Text:

    Loading example…

    Encoding report:

    Loading example…

    The live checker is preparing this example…

    The result above comes from the same function the tool uses, so it reflects real behavior. Press Load Example to try it.

    Who Uses This Checker

    Developers use it to diagnose garbled text. Data engineers use it to check imports. Anyone whose Urdu came out as odd letters uses it to confirm the cause.

    Accuracy and Limits

    The checker works on text that is already in the page, so it detects the replacement character exactly and flags the Latin-supplement characters that signal mojibake. It cannot recover the original bytes from a replacement character, and a rare accented word could be flagged as a mojibake sign.

    Good to know: to fix mojibake, re-open the original file with the correct encoding; the garbled text alone often cannot be repaired.

    Your Data Stays Private

    The checker runs fully in your browser with standard web technology. Your text is not uploaded or stored, and it is not sent to any analytics service. Only your star rating is sent, to record the tool’s rating. When you close the page, your text is gone.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What does the Urdu Text Encoding Checker do?

    It looks for signs of an encoding problem, counting the replacement characters that stand for lost bytes and flagging the garbled Latin letters of mojibake, and shows the UTF-8 byte length.

    What is the replacement character?

    A diamond with a question mark that appears when a byte could not be decoded. A run of them means the text lost data in a conversion.

    What is mojibake?

    The garbled result when text saved in one encoding is read in another, turning Urdu into a string of odd accented Latin letters.

    Why show the byte length?

    Urdu letters take two bytes each in UTF-8, so the byte length is larger than the character count, which matters when a field has a byte limit.

    Can it fix garbled text?

    Not always. It cannot recover the original bytes from a replacement character; to fix mojibake, re-open the original file with the correct encoding.

    Is my data safe?

    Yes. Everything runs in your browser. Your text is never uploaded, saved, or shared.

    Is this tool free?

    Yes, it is completely free and needs no account to use.

    Does it work on mobile?

    Yes. It works on phones, tablets, and computers.

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    Reviewed by Bilal Khan (Software Engineer, Unicode & Localization) Last updated:
    Sources and standards

    This free tool checks text already in the page for encoding problems, counting replacement characters and flagging Latin-supplement characters that signal mojibake, and shows the UTF-8 byte length. It cannot recover original bytes from a replacement character. Your star rating is stored on the site.