Who is W. D. Gaster?
W. D. Gaster is one of the most mysterious and beloved characters in indie game history. Appearing in Toby Fox's 2015 RPG Undertale, Gaster is the former Royal Scientist of the Underground — the being who built the SOUL-powered machinery that defines the game's world. He communicates exclusively through Wingdings symbols, and is almost entirely absent from the main storyline, appearing only through cryptic, easily-missed interactions that require specific conditions to trigger.
The Gaster Language — Wingdings 1
When Gaster "speaks" in the game files and hidden rooms, his text is rendered in Wingdings 1 — the original 1992 Microsoft dingbat font. Our Gaster Translator maps common English characters to practical Unicode equivalents of those glyphs for easy copying. To explore the mapping manually, check out our interactive Wingdings 1 Alphabet chart.
Entry Number 17 in Wingdings
Entry Number 17 is a hidden uppercase Wingdings message associated with W.D. Gaster. Read the verified excerpt, copy portable symbol approximations and separate confirmed context from fan interpretation on the Entry Number 17 translation page.
How to Use the Gaster Translator
Type any English message into the input box. The Gaster Translator instantly converts it to Wingdings 1 symbols — the same glyphs used throughout Undertale's hidden content. With Emoji mode on (default), the output uses Unicode symbols that copy-paste perfectly to Discord, Twitter, Reddit, and any platform. With Emoji mode off, the output uses the actual Wingdings font rendering (requires the font installed).
Gaster Style Settings for Authentic Results
To get the most "official" Gaster look, keep Emoji mode ON. This uses actual Unicode symbols that render identically to how Gaster's text appeared in the original game — dark, cryptic, and unmistakably him. For sharing on social platforms, emoji mode ensures the symbols display correctly even for users who have never installed a Wingdings font.
Frequently Asked Questions — Gaster Translator
What font does W.D. Gaster speak in?
Gaster communicates in Wingdings 1 — the original 1992 Microsoft dingbat font. Each letter of the English alphabet maps to a specific symbol glyph. Our Gaster Translator uses this exact mapping. You can find the complete letter-to-symbol key in our Wingdings 1 Alphabet.
What is Entry Number 17?
Entry Number 17 is a hidden text file in Undertale's game data, associated with W.D. Gaster. Decoded from Wingdings, it contains a fragmented message that has been the subject of intense fan speculation since the game's release in 2015. It's considered one of the greatest video game secrets of all time.
Is the Undertale Wingdings translator accurate?
It uses the standard Wingdings 1 keyboard mapping. Emoji mode uses practical Unicode equivalents for portability, while font mode provides the closest native rendering when Wingdings is installed.
How do I decode a Gaster message?
Click the ⇄ button to switch to "Gaster to English" mode. Paste the Wingdings symbols into the input box and the decoded text appears in the output box instantly. Make sure the tool is set to Wingdings 1 (it is by default on this page).
Can I share Gaster text on Discord or Twitter?
Yes — with Emoji mode on, the symbols are Unicode characters that display correctly on all platforms without any font installation. This is the recommended setting for sharing Gaster messages online.
What is the CRT effect on this page?
The scanline overlay replicates the visual style of a CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitor — the kind used in the era when Wingdings was created, and also referenced in Undertale's aesthetic. It activates automatically on this Gaster Translator page. On the main Wingdings Translator, you can toggle it using the 👁️ button.
Does Gaster also appear in Deltarune?
Toby Fox has included subtle Gaster references in Deltarune as well, though his role remains ambiguous. The Wingdings encoding used for any Gaster-related text in Deltarune is identical to Undertale — Wingdings 1 — so our Gaster Translator works for both games.