Google Tamil Typing: What Still Works
கூகுள் தமிழ் உள்ளீட்டுக் கருவிகள்
Google Input Tools used to mean a Windows program. That is gone, but Google Tamil typing still works in four other places. Here is each one, and how to use it.
Short answer
The Google Input Tools desktop app for Windows is no longer offered. Google Tamil typing now lives in the Input Tools extension for Chrome, the online try-it page, Google Docs and Slides (File > Language), and Gboard on phones. All four are free and convert Tamil typed in English letters.
Type Tamil Now, Nothing to Install
Spell the word in English letters and press space.thamizhதமிழ்
Typing help
Tap a letter to add it at the cursorType Tamil words in English letters. Space converts each word. While suggestions are open, use the arrow keys or numbers to pick, Escape keeps English. Alt plus Down arrow offers other spellings for the Tamil word at the cursor.
TypeTamilOnline is independent and is not affiliated with Google. Google, Chrome, Gboard and Google Docs are trademarks of Google LLC.
Google Tamil Input Tools Today: What Works Where
Google’s English to Tamil typing (spell a word in English letters, get Tamil) now lives in four places:
| Option | Where it works | Status, November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Input Tools extension | Chrome on Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS | Available, updated October 2026 |
| Input Tools try-it page | Any browser | Available |
| Google Docs and Slides | In the document editor | Available |
| Gboard | Android phone keyboard | Available; Tamil transliteration on Android since 2017 |
| Input Tools for Windows | Windows desktop | Discontinued; the download page is gone |
What Happened to the Windows App
For years, “Google Tamil typing” meant a small Windows program that let you type Tamil in English letters in any app, even offline. Many people called it the “Google Tamil typewriter”, although it was phonetic and never used the typewriter layout. Google has stopped offering it. Its download page at google.com/inputtools/windows returns “not found”, although the Input Tools home page still says the tools are available for Windows and some pages still link to that dead page. We could not find an official announcement or end date.
Old installers are still passed around on download sites and forums. They are unofficial copies of software that no longer gets security updates, so we suggest leaving them alone. If you need Tamil in every Windows app, Windows 10 and 11 include a Tamil Phonetic keyboard from Microsoft that works the same way: type thottam and get தோட்டம். Our Tamil keyboard for PC guide shows how to add it. If you only need to write something and paste it, a web tool does the job without installing anything. For other Windows options, see our Tamil typing software comparison.
If you learnt the real typewriter keyboard for an exam or office work, use our Tamil typewriter online: the same key positions, in your browser.
Tamil Typing in Google Chrome: The Input Tools Extension
The extension adds Tamil typing to text boxes on websites you open in Chrome on a computer.
Install Google Input Tools from the Chrome Web Store. Check that it is published by Google.
Click the extension’s icon in the toolbar and choose Extension options.
On the Extension options page, find a Tamil input tool in the list on the left and double-click it to add it to the list on the right. (Double-click it on the right to remove it.)
Click the extension icon and pick the Tamil tool. The icon turns full colour when a tool is on. Click into a text box on any web page and type. If nothing happens, reload the page.
To stop, click the icon and choose Turn off.
It only works on ordinary web pages in Chrome. It does not work in Word, desktop WhatsApp or other installed programs, and Chrome on phones does not support extensions.
Use the Online Try-It Page
Google’s Input Tools site has a page, google.com/inputtools/try, where you choose a language and an input tool and start typing. Choose Tamil, type, then copy the text out. It is meant as a demo, so there is no saved draft: copy your text before you close the tab.
Type Tamil in Google Docs and Slides
Open the document and click File > Language, then choose Tamil.
An input tools menu appears in the toolbar. Click the down arrow next to it.
Pick a method. Phonetic turns English letters into Tamil and lets you click the best match; keyboard shows a Tamil on-screen keyboard; handwriting lets you draw letters.
The shortcut is Ctrl Alt Shift K on Windows and ⌘ Option Shift K on a Mac. In Sheets, the equivalent is the locale under File > Spreadsheet settings. Docs also has voice typing under Tools > Voice typing, and Google lists Tamil for India, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia. Some older guides send you to the Tools menu for the language; in current Docs it is under File. The Google Docs Tamil guide covers fonts, voice typing and common problems.
On Your Phone: Gboard
On phones, Google’s Tamil typing is part of Gboard, its keyboard app. On Android you add Tamil inside Gboard and can type it in English letters or Tamil script; the Android Tamil keyboard guide has every step. On iPhone you can install Gboard from the App Store, but Apple’s own Tamil keyboard is already built in; the iPhone Tamil keyboard guide shows how to turn it on.
An Alternative That Needs Nothing Installed
TypeTamilOnline does the same job as Google’s phonetic typing in a normal web page: spell the word in English letters, press Space, and it becomes Tamil, with other spellings to pick from. The honest differences:
- Works anywhere with a browser, including phones, school or office PCs, and browsers that cannot add extensions.
- Runs on your device. The conversion happens in your browser, so your words are not sent to us or anyone else.
- Keeps your draft if you close the tab, and learns the spellings you pick.
- Measured accuracy. On a held-out test set, the first suggestion is the intended word about 76% of the time. The accuracy page explains the test and where the engine still gets words wrong.
- But it is a separate page. You write here and copy the text into your app. Google’s Chrome extension types straight into other websites, and Gboard types into every app on your phone.