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How to Setup Standard Unicode
Farsi for Windows
Last Updated: July 29, 2002
In this article you will find valuable information on how to setup the standard Farsi which is included with Windows 2000 & XP and how to install this system on Windows 95, 98 and NT 4. You can also install some extra fonts for your Windows. Please note if you are using Internet Explorer 5.0 and above, you can read Farsi and visit Farsi web sites without installing Farsi on your system.
Windows 2000 & XP | Farsi Keyboard | Windows 95, 98, NT | Mac & Others | Fonts & Software
( NEW! ) Important tip for Internet Explorer 5 or above users: If you can not read Farsi specially in web mail sites like Yahoo and Hotmail, right click on the screen, go to "Encoding" and make sure "Unicode (UTF-8) is selected. Click here for detailed instructions with Pictures.
Important Information for users of Windows 95, 98, ME and 2000: Download Courier New from this site if you have problems with some Farsi letters. Before installing the font remove the old version.
Read Farsi in Internet Explorer 5.0 and above (Windows 95 and above)
( NEW! ) Click here for detailed instructions with Pictures.
1.First, to check if you already have the Farsi installed, try to read the line below which is Farsi. If you can read it you have Farsi installed already. If you can't read the line, before going to the next step right-click right here on this screen, go to Encoding and choose Unicode (UTF-8) or User Defined if you can not find Unicode. سيستم شما آماده دسترسی به سايتهای فارسی است
2.On the Internet Explorer menu, click on Tools and then Internet Options, a new window will open: Click on Languages and a second window will open. Click Add and choose Farsi [Fa] in the list.
3.If you still can not read the line above, repeat step 1. You might need to restart Internet Explorer or your Windows.
More information is available here.
Click here for easy steps which pictures that help you setup Farsi for your Windows.
Here is the standard Farsi keyboard for Windows XP (same for other operating systems).
Download Courier New from this site if you can't read Farsi or can read but have problems with some Farsi letters. Before installing the font remove the old version.
To add Farsi to these older versions you must install the following file. It will automatically set your language settings and put an Icon to change the language in your System Tray.
Mac & Other Operating Systems & Browsers
To add Multilanguage browsing to
Mac, Linux and other operating systems, check out these links:
(Some operating systems and/or browsers only support reading.)
Additional Fonts & Sites
Here you can find links to free download sites:
Borna Rayane - The best Unicode fonts with all the correct letters and programs for writing Unicode Farsi.
Microsoft Arabic True Type Open Fonts Pack
These are some nice fonts, including a very nice Nastaligh from Microsoft
Mazar - Free Farsi fonts for Windows
Here you can find a pack of fonts, you will see a sample and you can click for a
free download. (These fonts don't have the standard unicode
encoding, thus the letter "Yeh Farsi" has some problems.
Farsido (Beta) - My updated version of Simredo which supports Vazhe Negar and Iran System conversion. The Beta version of this software is available for Free download. Please share the downloaded version.
Simredo - A multi-OS (Windows, Mac, Unix, Linux) multi-language (Farsi and more) Editor written in Java. Is supports Farsi keyboard and converts some systems too. Current version convert IranSystem but the future versions will convert others including Vazhe Negar (Check our Shabredo). You need Java Runtime Environment to run this program. Click here for Simredo download and installation instructions.
The FarsiWebProject
This site gives you links to great Unicode Farsi tools for Windows, Linux and
Unix. Great for programmers and webmasters.
More sites to be posted on future updates.
Article by Hooman Baradaran