How do I open and edit JSON files?

Summary: JSON translation files are plain text files. You can open and edit them with any text/code editor (e.g., Visual Studio Code, Notepad, Notepad++, Sublime Text, and others) or with an online JSON editor.

Syntax tip: Always make sure your JSON is valid. You can check and format your file using an online JSON validator or your editor's built-in formatter.

Troubleshooting: If your file doesn't open or looks unformatted, try using a JSON beautifier or reformatting in your editor.

Minimal translation JSON example:

{
	"greeting": "Hello, {{name}}!",
	"items_one": "You have one item.",
	"items_other": "You have {{count}} items."
}

Translation tips:

• Use double curly braces for placeholders (e.g., {{name}}).
• For languages with multiple plural forms, see the i18next plurals guide.

If you use an i18n framework such as i18next, make sure your i18n format supports plural forms and interpolation.

Online tools:

• translate.i18next.com – free online translation editor for JSON files

Locize workflow benefits: For larger projects, Locize offers collaboration, QA, and automation features:

• Bulk actions for machine translation
• Focus view for efficient editing
• Automatic machine and generative AI translation workflow

How to edit JSON files in Locize:

1. Get started
2. Import your JSON file
3. Edit translations in the Global view or Focus view

Supported import/export formats: see File formats

Demo video: Watch how to edit JSON files in Locize