Avro Phonetic typing is
back on Mac.
The native Apple Silicon Bangla phonetic keyboard. iAvro-style typing on M-series Macs — no Rosetta required. Lekho is free, open source, forever.
Everything iAvro did — natively on Apple Silicon.
Full Avro Phonetic
The same transliteration you know — type
ami banglay gan gai
and get
আমি বাংলায় গান গাই. Conjuncts, reph, ya-phala — all handled.
150k Words + Emoji
Smart suggestions from a comprehensive Bangla dictionary with autocorrect. Plus contextual emoji — কান্না suggests 😢, বাংলাদেশ suggests 🇧🇩. Your preferred candidates are remembered. All optional — switch to phonetic-only mode in Settings if you prefer no suggestions.
~2.7 MB. Zero Bloat.
Native Apple Silicon binary. No Electron, no Java, no background daemon. Instant startup, zero CPU when idle. A proper input method.
macOS 13+ Native
Built with InputMethodKit — the same framework Apple uses. Works in Safari, Chrome, VS Code, TextEdit, Spotlight, everywhere.
No Data Collection
Everything runs locally on your Mac. No internet connection needed, no telemetry, no keystrokes ever leave your machine.
Powered by OpenBangla
Built on riti — the same proven engine behind OpenBangla Keyboard on Linux, now on macOS.
Up and running in 2 minutes.
Install
Have Homebrew? One command:
brew install --cask arahim3/lekho/lekho
Otherwise, grab the latest .dmg from
GitHub Releases, open it, and double-click
Install Lekho.pkg — the
installer handles everything. If macOS blocks
the installer, go to System Settings →
Privacy & Security, scroll to the
bottom, and click "Allow Anyway"
next to the Lekho message.
Add the input source
Open System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → Edit, click +, find English → Lekho, and add it. If Lekho doesn't appear in the list, log out and back in once — macOS sometimes needs this to discover new input methods.
Start typing বাংলা
Switch to Lekho from the menu bar or use your keyboard shortcut. Type in English, see Bengali.
Technical details
লেখো, on your Mac.
Download Lekho and help us test. Every bug report makes it better for everyone.
Common questions
Is this the same as Avro Keyboard for Mac?
Lekho is a spiritual successor — it uses the same Avro Phonetic transliteration rules made familiar by Avro Keyboard on Windows and iAvro on macOS. iAvro is an Intel-only build that still runs on Apple Silicon through Rosetta, though Apple has announced Rosetta support is being wound down. Lekho is built natively for Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5), so it stays first-class as macOS evolves.
Does it work on MacBook Air / MacBook Pro with M4 or M5?
Yes. Lekho runs natively on all Apple Silicon Macs — MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro with any M-series chip (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5 and future chips).
How is this different from the macOS built-in Bengali keyboard?
The macOS built-in Bengali input uses Apple's own layout, not Avro Phonetic rules. If you're used to typing Bangla with Avro phonetics — like on Windows with Avro Keyboard, or on Linux with OpenBangla Keyboard — Lekho will feel familiar. Same transliteration style, plus a 150k-word dictionary with smart suggestions.
Is Lekho free? Is it open source?
Yes, completely free — no ads, no subscription, no sign-up. Lekho is open source under the MPL-2.0 license. The transliteration engine is OpenBangla's riti, the same proven engine behind OpenBangla Keyboard on Linux.
What is the best Avro keyboard for Mac in 2026?
For native Apple Silicon, Lekho is currently the only Avro Phonetic keyboard built specifically for the M-series. iAvro still runs via Rosetta, but Apple has announced Rosetta support is being wound down — fully available in macOS 27, then limited to legacy games starting in macOS 28. Lekho is free, open source, and runs natively on M1–M5 Macs.
Is there an iAvro alternative for Apple Silicon Mac?
Yes — Lekho is a modern replacement for iAvro. It's built natively for Apple Silicon, uses the same Avro Phonetic transliteration rules, and includes a 150,000-word Bengali dictionary with smart suggestions. It works in every app including Chrome, Safari, Notes, Mail, and more.
How do I type Bangla on a Mac?
Install Lekho, then go to System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → click + → search "Lekho" → Add. Switch to it with the Globe key or Ctrl+Space. Then just type in English and it converts to Bengali phonetically — for example, type "ami" to get "আমি".