FontForge is a free and open-source font editor which supports many common font formats. Developed primarily by George Williams until 2012, FontForge is free software and is distributed under a mix of the GNU General Public License Version 3 and the 3-clause BSD license. It is available for operating systems including Linux, Windows, and macOS, and progress has been made on localizing it into 21 languages including Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Swedish, Korean, and Croatian.
To facilitate automated format conversion and other repetitive tasks, FontForge implements two scripting languages: its own language and Python. FontForge can run scripts from its GUI, from the command line, and also offers its features as a Python module, so it can be integrated into any Python program.
FontForge supports Adobe's OpenType feature file specification (with its own extensions to the syntax). It also supports the unofficial Microsoft mathematical typesetting extensions (MATH table) introduced for Cambria Math and supported by Office 2007, XeTeX and LuaTeX. At least one free OpenType mathematical font has been developed in FontForge.
What is FontForge?
FontForge by FontForgeBuilds is open-source Windows software in the text editors category. It ranks 11th by popularity among text editors in this catalogue. The first release dates back to 1999. It is written in C. Besides Windows, it is available for GNU/Linux, macOS and Cygwin.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE (Inno Setup) installers for 64-bit Windows. Installation asks for administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches.
Updates and version history
The current version is 20251009, released on October 9, 2025. The version history goes back to March 8, 2022: 3 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 0.8 releases a year. The last update is more than a year old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 19,260 times. The source code on GitHub (fontforge/fontforge) has 8,038 stars. Wikipedia has an article about it in 18 of our languages. On Windows it registers 26 file types, including .svg, .ps, .pdb, .res and .ttf. Similar programs include Notepad++, Atom and Neovim.
Project description on GitHub: “Free (libre) font editor for Windows, Mac OS X and GNU+Linux”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Opens 26 file types
- Also runs on GNU/Linux, macOS and Cygwin
- Large user base
- Mature project (since 1999)
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- Installation needs administrator rights
- No update for more than a year
In short: FontForge is an open-source text editor tool for 64-bit PCs. Updates have slowed down. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Screenshots
Is FontForge safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
548523F08834E344BDA69ABB759E30C0F84A1A5EF9A5E965EB946D86A11118A3· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the fontforge/fontforge repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- Code review10
- Actively maintained10
- No dangerous workflows10
- No binaries in the repository10
- Licence declared9
- Restricted token permissions0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Security policy0
- Pinned dependencies0
- Fuzzing0
- Signed releases0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 3 versions ›3 versions over 4 years · about 0.8 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20251009Latest | October 9, 2025 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 20230101 | January 1, 2023 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 20220308 | March 8, 2022 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id FontForge.FontForge -echoco install fontforge -yFontForge-2025-10-09-Windows-x64.exe /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART /SP-Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
flatpak install flathub org.fontforge.FontForgeInformation
- Publisher
- FontForgeBuilds
- Category
- Text editors
- Licence
- GPL-3.0-or-later
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/fontforge/fontforge
- Written in
- C
- Content rating
- All ages
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- EXE (Inno Setup)
- Other platforms
- GNU/Linux, macOS, Cygwin
- Version
- 20251009
- Released
- October 9, 2025
- First release
- 1999
- Added to the catalogue
- January 3, 2023
- Versions listed
- 3
- Updates / year
- 0.8
- Chocolatey downloads
- 19,260
- GitHub stars
- 8,038
- GitHub forks
- 817
- Website
- github.com
- winget ID
- FontForge.FontForge
- Chocolatey package
- fontforge
File types it opens (26)
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is FontForge free?
Yes. FontForge is open-source software under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence.
Is FontForge safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install FontForge with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can FontForge be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does FontForge run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of FontForge?
The versions page lists all 3 versions with links to their official installer files, back to March 8, 2022.
What are alternatives to FontForge?
Notepad++, Atom, Neovim, Geany and WordPress.com. The alternatives page compares them.
