How to Install Nudi 4.0 in Windows 10

Nudi 4.0 is no longer offered on the official Nudi download page, so the safe way to “install Nudi 4.0” on Windows 10 today is to install a current Nudi release from the publisher, Kannada Ganaka Parishat (KaGaPa). Download Nudi 6.1 for new Unicode typing, or Nudi 5.0 if you need to keep working with old Nudi-font documents. Then right-click the setup file, select Run as administrator, follow the installer, and restart your PC.

Applies to: Windows 10 (version 22H2). Nudi is free Kannada typing software that KaGaPa built at the request of the Government of Karnataka. It lets you type Kannada in Word, Notepad, browsers and most other Windows apps. Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025, and only PCs enrolled in Extended Security Updates keep getting security fixes, through October 12, 2027.

Which Nudi version should you install?

Most people searching for Nudi 4.0 were told to use it by an office, school or exam center, usually because older documents were typed with it. Here’s how the versions on KaGaPa’s download page compare:

• Nudi 6.1: Unicode-based, released in 32-bit and 64-bit editions. Text you type works in any modern app and shows correctly on other computers, phones and websites without special fonts. Pick this for new work.
• Nudi 5.0: the last version built on the older Nudi font encoding that the Government of Karnataka prescribed, the same system Nudi 4.0 used. Pick this only if you must edit or create documents in that old format.
• Multi Nudi 6.5: a multi-language edition. Use it if you were asked for it by name.
• Nudi fonts: a separate download of the Nudi font files. Install these if you only need old documents to display correctly.

If someone insists on version 4.0 exactly, ask whether they really need the program or just compatible documents. In most cases Nudi 5.0 or the Nudi font pack does the same job. Copies of Nudi 4.0 on third-party download sites aren’t from the publisher, and repackaged installers can carry unwanted software, so avoid them.

Before you start

• Check whether Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit. Go to Settings > System > About and look at System type. Most PCs show “64-bit operating system.”
• Use an administrator account. Nudi installs fonts and a keyboard engine, so setup needs admin rights.
• Close Word and other Office apps. Fonts and keyboard tools are picked up more reliably when apps start after the install.
• Know the difference between Unicode and Nudi fonts. Unicode is the worldwide standard for storing text, so Unicode Kannada looks the same everywhere. Older Nudi text stores the letters as codes that only Nudi fonts understand, which is why it turns into English letters or symbols on a PC without those fonts.

Install Nudi on Windows 10

1. Open KaGaPa’s Nudi download page in your browser. The page is mostly in Kannada; the downloads are listed by version number (ನುಡಿ 6.1, ನುಡಿ 5.0 and so on).
2. Select the version you chose. The file saves to your Downloads folder. Nudi 6.1 and 5.0 download as setup files (.exe); the font pack downloads as a ZIP file.
3. If you downloaded a ZIP file, right-click it, select Extract All, then select Extract. Windows opens the extracted folder. Don’t run anything from inside the ZIP without extracting it first.
4. Right-click the setup file and select Run as administrator. Select Yes when User Account Control asks for permission.
5. If a blue “Windows protected your PC” box appears, SmartScreen hasn’t seen the file often. Since you downloaded it from the publisher, select More info, check the file name, and select Run anyway.
6. Follow the installer screens and keep the default install folder.
7. Restart your PC when setup finishes. The restart lets Windows and your apps load the new fonts.

You should now see Nudi in the Start menu. If you installed only the font pack, open the extracted folder, select the font files, right-click and choose Install (or Install for all users).

Type Kannada with Nudi

1. Open Nudi from the Start menu. It runs in the background and places an icon in the notification area at the right end of the taskbar. If you don’t see it, select the small up arrow to show hidden icons.
2. Open the app you want to type in, such as Word or Notepad, and click in the document.
3. Switch Nudi from English to Kannada using its taskbar icon. Many Nudi versions also use the Scroll Lock key as the Kannada/English toggle, so watch your keyboard’s Scroll Lock light. The help file that comes with your version lists its exact keys.
4. Type. With the default layout, you press English keys and Nudi turns them into Kannada letters.
5. Check the font. In Nudi 6.1 (Unicode), Kannada displays with Windows fonts such as Nirmala UI. In Nudi 5.0 font mode, the text must use a Nudi font, or it will look like random English letters.

You’ll know it worked when Kannada letters appear as you type and still look right after you save, close and reopen the file.

No install needed: Windows 10’s Kannada keyboard

If you just need to type Kannada and nobody requires Nudi, Windows 10 already has Kannada keyboards, including a Phonetic keyboard that lets you spell words in English letters. Microsoft lists Kannada among the 10 languages covered in its guide to setting up Indic Phonetic keyboards. Everything it types is Unicode.

1. Go to Settings > Time & Language > Language.
2. Select Add a language, search for Kannada, select it and choose Next, then Install.
3. Select Kannada in the list, then Options. Under Keyboards, select Add a keyboard and pick Kannada Phonetic.
4. On the same Options page, select Download next to Basic typing if it isn’t installed yet. Until it finishes, the keyboard may say it isn’t ready.

5. Press Windows + Spacebar to switch between English and Kannada.

Our guide to typing Hindi and other Indian languages in Windows 10 has spelling tips for the phonetic keyboards, and you can learn more about switching keyboard languages in Windows 10, including how to change the shortcut.

If Nudi won’t install or type

• Your antivirus blocks the installer: don’t switch protection off. Delete the file, download it again from the KaGaPa page, and try once more. If it’s still blocked, use the built-in Windows keyboard instead.
• “This app can’t run on your PC”: you may have the wrong edition for your system type. Check System type and download the matching 32-bit or 64-bit version.
• Typing comes out in English: Nudi is still in English mode, or it isn’t running. Start it from the Start menu and switch to Kannada from its icon.
• Word freezes or ignores typing with Nudi: close Word, restart Nudi, then reopen Word. If it keeps happening, install Nudi 6.1 in place of the older version, or repair Office from Settings > Apps > Apps & features by selecting Microsoft Office, then Modify.
• Kannada shows as English letters, symbols or boxes: the text was typed in the old Nudi font encoding and the document is using another font, or the Nudi fonts aren’t installed on this PC. Install the Nudi font pack, then select the text and apply a Nudi font.
• Nudi stopped working after a Windows update: run the setup file again as administrator to reinstall it, then restart.

If you’re stuck on a font issue, the steps for installing fonts in Windows 10 show how to confirm a font is installed and how to install fonts for every account on the PC.

Remove Nudi

Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features, select Nudi, select Uninstall, and confirm. Restart afterward. The Nudi fonts may stay installed so older documents still display; you can remove them from Settings > Personalization > Fonts if you’re sure you no longer need them.

Frequently asked questions

Can Nudi 6.1 open documents typed in Nudi 4.0?

Not directly as Unicode. Old Nudi documents are stored in the font encoding, so they need the Nudi fonts to display. Install the Nudi font pack (or Nudi 5.0) to view and edit them. To move old text into Unicode, use a Nudi-to-Unicode converter; your office may already use a specific one, so ask before converting shared files.

Does Nudi cost anything?

No. Nudi is free to download and use, with no trial period or license key.

Will Nudi work on Windows 11?

KaGaPa’s download page doesn’t list supported Windows versions. If you’re moving to Windows 11, install the newest Nudi release rather than an old version, and keep Windows 11’s built-in Kannada Phonetic keyboard in mind as a fallback.

Do I need an internet connection to type?

Only to download Nudi. After installation, Nudi works offline. The Windows Kannada Phonetic keyboard also works offline once its Basic typing files have downloaded.

Is Nudi the same as Baraha?

No. Both let you type Kannada with an English keyboard, but Baraha comes from a different developer, and its older fonts aren’t the same as Nudi’s. Use whichever your office or school expects, since non-Unicode documents from one won’t display correctly in the other’s fonts.

Once Nudi is working, type a short test line, save it, and reopen it before starting a long document. If you need the file to look right on someone else’s computer, typing in Nudi 6.1’s Unicode mode or with the Windows Kannada keyboard is the most reliable choice.