What this TAM to Unicode converter is for
TAM, like TAB, is generally linked to Tamil Nadu government-backed encoding efforts of the late 1990s and shows up in older official-style material. The trouble is that TAM text only looks like Tamil while the right font is in place. This page reads the stored characters and writes them back as ordinary Unicode Tamil, which any modern app can display, search and spell-check.
What TAM text looks like when the font is missing
Open the file in a plain editor or paste a few words into a blank page with an ordinary font. If the Tamil turns into Latin letters, symbols and punctuation, you are looking at font-encoded text. To give you something concrete, this converter stores தமிழ் in TAM as îI›, வணக்கம் as õí‚è‹ and நன்றி as ï¡P. TAM keeps single codes for consonant plus vowel sign, so தமிழ் is only three stored characters (îI›). The same word takes five characters in TAB. If your result is almost right, confirm you did not pick TAM when the file was TAB, or the other way round.
How to use the converter
Copy a short passage from the source, paste it into the input and convert it. Once the sample reads correctly, convert the rest. Copy the result straight into Word, an email or a website, or save it with the download button.
Checking the result
Skim the output slowly the first time. Names, dates, numerals and conjunct letters are where small differences hide. If a single word looks wrong, convert it on its own to find out whether the original file was damaged or whether a neighbouring format is a better match.
Typical situations
Most visitors arrive with a folder of old Tamil work. It might be typed notes, a newsletter, a community record or a draft that must be edited again. Converting it to Unicode lets you reuse the writing instead of retyping it from scratch, which is slow and invites new mistakes.
Tips for cleaner results
Keep the source file safe and work on a copy. Paste in plain text where possible, and avoid copying from places that quietly change characters, such as some PDF viewers. When a passage mixes formats, split it up and treat each part separately. Press Clear between jobs so the boxes start fresh.
The benefit of having Unicode Tamil
Once the text is Unicode, you no longer depend on TAM being installed. You can search inside it, sort it, spell-check it, paste it into messaging apps and publish it on the web, and it will display the same way on phones, laptops and servers. Keep the Unicode copy as your master and treat the old TAM file as an archive.
Related tools
If you ever need to go the other way, try Unicode to TAM. To write fresh Tamil with an English keyboard, use English to Tamil typing, or browse all Tamil font converters.
TAM to Unicode: common questions
TAM or TAB: how do I decide?
Count and compare. A word like தமிழ் is three characters in TAM and five in TAB. If you still have the original font name or file properties, use that. Otherwise test a short line in both.
Does the converter handle numbers and punctuation in TAM text?
Standard digits and common punctuation generally carry through, but treat numerals and symbols as items to review after conversion.
Does formatting survive the conversion?
Only the characters are converted. Headings, bold, tables and font choices are not part of the process, so expect to restyle the result.
Will I see Tamil letters without the TAM font?
The input box may show the original characters with a preview font where one is supplied. Elsewhere, unconverted TAM text simply looks like strange Latin characters until it is converted.
Can I upload a document?
Not here. You paste text into the box and download the output as a plain .txt file if you want to keep it. For Word or PDF files, copy the text out first.
Does converting alter the meaning or spelling?
It should not. The tool changes the encoding, so the same words are stored a different way. Review it anyway, especially for names and unusual spellings.
Does the text I paste leave my computer?
The page does the conversion locally in your browser. Nothing you paste into the boxes needs to be sent anywhere for the converter to work.