Braille Converter

Choose the conversion direction and Braille format

Use the direction controls to tell the converter how to process the content in the left text area:

• Auto-detect: Selects a direction from likely Unicode Braille, but does not change the selected format. It does not recognize ASCII Braille automatically.
• Text → Braille: Encodes ordinary text using the selected Braille format.
• Braille → Text: Decodes Braille using the selected format.

Choose a format in the Braille format radio group:

• Unicode Braille: Uses characters from the Braille Patterns block.
• ASCII Braille (NABCC): Uses the converter's fixed 64-entry ASCII mapping.

The format controls output when encoding and parsing when decoding. To decode Unicode Braille, select Unicode Braille. To decode ASCII Braille, select ASCII Braille (NABCC).

Enter text or load a text file

1. Type or paste text or Braille into the left text area.
2. To load a file, select Upload. The file picker accepts .txt and text/plain files.
3. You can also drop a file on the input area. Drop file reads the dropped file as text.

These controls read raw text only. They do not accept image-based Braille and do not provide OCR. The file reader splits lines only at \n, so a CRLF file can leave carriage returns as unsupported characters. During encoding, tabs are treated as spaces.

Convert, review warnings, and use the result

1. Set the direction and format before converting, especially when decoding ASCII Braille.
2. Read the result in the right text area as the input changes.
3. Review the warnings panel. Unsupported characters are skipped and appear under Unsupported characters skipped:. Shared or context-dependent reverse mappings appear under Ambiguous mappings used:.
4. Select Copy to copy the result, or Download .txt to download a plain-text file named braille-output.txt.

Supported mappings and conversion limits

The converter applies Grade 1 (uncontracted) rules. It includes letters, capitalization signs, number signs, digits, spaces, line breaks, and supported punctuation such as commas, periods, semicolons, colons, question marks, exclamation marks, apostrophes, hyphens, slashes, and asterisks.

• Parentheses and quotation marks use ambiguous mappings. Curly apostrophe mappings are also defined.
• Unsupported characters are skipped rather than converted.
• When decoding, an ambiguous cell can lose the original punctuation distinction because the converter selects one primary reading.
• The local ASCII output is defined by this converter's fixed mapping. The page does not establish compatibility with particular embossers, refreshable Braille displays, or BRF software.

Grade 2 word and letter contractions are not implemented.

Privacy and browser-side processing

The converter and its file reading use browser JavaScript. The local converter script contains no request that uploads the entered text or dropped file. Shared page assets also load analytics services, so the local files do not support an absolute claim about all browser activity or server transmission.

Braille converter questions