Hindi Typing Guide: Mangal Font, Remington and Inscript Layouts Explained

Updated: 2026-10-12 · 7 min read

If you are starting Hindi typing, you will quickly run into a confusing mix of words: Mangal, Kruti Dev, Unicode, Inscript, Remington Gail, Remington CBI. Exam notices mention some of them, coaching centres recommend others, and it is not obvious which ones are fonts and which ones are keyboards. This guide untangles the terms so you can pick the right setup and start practising with confidence.

Fonts vs keyboard layouts: the key difference

A font controls how characters look on screen. A keyboard layout controls which character appears when you press a key. The two are separate decisions:

• Mangal is a Unicode Devanagari font that ships with Windows. Text typed in Mangal is real Unicode Hindi, so it displays correctly on other computers, phones and websites.
• Kruti Dev is an older, non-Unicode font. It works by mapping Hindi shapes onto English character codes. It looks like Hindi on a computer with that font installed, but turns into random English letters elsewhere. We explain this in detail in Kruti Dev vs Mangal (Unicode).
• Inscript and Remington are keyboard layouts – two different ways of placing Hindi letters on a standard keyboard.

So when someone says “Mangal typing”, they usually mean Unicode Hindi typing, and they still need to tell you which layout – Inscript or Remington – is allowed.

What is the Inscript layout?

Inscript is the standard Devanagari keyboard layout developed for Indian scripts and built into Windows, macOS, Linux and many phones. Its design is logical: vowels and matras are mostly on the left side of the keyboard, and consonants are mostly on the right side. Related letters are grouped together, often with the aspirated form on the Shift key (for example क and ख).

Advantages of Inscript:

• It is available on almost every computer without installing extra software.
• The structure follows the Devanagari varnamala, so it is easier to learn from scratch.
• Half letters are typed with the halant key (्), which is consistent and predictable.

Our Hindi typing test uses Inscript, and our Inscript keyboard guide walks through the layout row by row.

What is the Remington layout?

Remington comes from the era of Hindi typewriters. Its key positions follow the old typewriter arrangement, which is why many experienced typists and some coaching institutes still prefer it. On computers you will usually see two variants:

• Remington Gail – the typewriter-style layout commonly used with Unicode fonts such as Mangal, typically enabled through a Hindi input tool or an exam's typing software.
• Remington CBI – a closely related variant with some differences in where certain characters and conjuncts sit.

Remington layouts are fast for people trained on them, but they place letters less systematically than Inscript and often require extra software to install.

Which layout should you learn for exams?

This is the most important question, and the honest answer is: it depends on your exam, so check the official notification. Different recruitment bodies and different years have allowed different options. Some tests offer a choice between Inscript and Remington in their software, while others specify a single layout. Rules can change between notifications, so do not rely on a coaching handout or an old forum post.

A practical approach:

1. Read the latest official notice for your exam and look for words like “Inscript”, “Remington (GAIL)”, “Remington (CBI)” or “Unicode/Mangal”.
2. If both Inscript and Remington are allowed and you are a complete beginner, Inscript is usually easier to learn and is built into every computer.
3. If you already type quickly on a Remington layout, it is generally better to keep it than to start over – as long as your exam allows it.

For more exam-specific context, see our guides to the SSC and CPCT typing test requirements and the CPCT typing test.

How to enable Hindi typing on your computer

Windows: Open Settings → Time & language → Language & region → Add a language → Hindi. The default keyboard added is Hindi Traditional, which is an Inscript layout. Switch between English and Hindi with Win + Space. Type in any app and choose a Unicode font such as Mangal or Nirmala UI.

macOS: System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → add “Hindi – Devanagari (InScript)”.

For Remington: you typically need an additional input tool that provides a Remington Gail or CBI keyboard. Download such tools only from official or well-known sources.

Common Hindi typing mistakes

• Wrong matra order: In Unicode, you type the consonant first and then the matra – even for ि (chhoti i), which appears to the left of the consonant on screen.
• Half letters: On Inscript, type the consonant, then halant (्), then the next consonant. Missing the halant is one of the most frequent errors.
• Nukta and chandrabindu: Characters like ज़, ड़ and ँ are easy to skip. Exams count them, so practise them deliberately.
• Mixing layouts: Practising on one layout and testing on another will cost you a lot of speed. Pick one.

A 3-week starter plan for Hindi typing

Week 1: Learn the home row of your chosen layout and type simple two- and three-letter words slowly. Week 2: Add matras and common conjuncts like क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ, श्र. Week 3: Start timed passages on the Hindi typing test, keeping accuracy above 95%. Our 30-day speed plan explains how to keep improving after that.

Frequently asked questions