Format at a glance
- Full name
- TrueType Font
- File extensions
- .ttf
- MIME types
- font/ttf
- Category
- Fonts
- Compression
- Depends on the contained codec
- Transparency
- Not applicable
- Animation
- Not applicable
- Properties
Suitable tools
What is this format?
TrueType was developed by Apple and widely adopted with Microsoft. Modern TTF files commonly use the OpenType table structure with TrueType outlines.
Alongside glyphs, a font contains tables for Unicode mapping, names, metrics, kerning and layout. Quality and capabilities differ greatly between individual fonts.
What is it used for?
- System and office fonts
- User interfaces and documents
- Font development and exchange
- Sources for WOFF or WOFF2 webfonts
Which programs can open it?
- Windows Font Viewer
- macOS Font Book
- FontForge and Glyphs
- Office, design and layout applications
Support across devices and browsers
Windows can preview and install TTF as a system font.
Font Book validates, installs and manages TTF.
Fontconfig, desktop font viewers and FontForge support TTF.
System font management is restricted, while design apps may import TTF.
Fonts can be installed through profiles or supported applications.
Websites usually prefer WOFF or WOFF2, although browsers may also load TTF as a web font.
Advantages
- Very broad system and application support
- Can provide strong hinting at small sizes
- May include OpenType layout tables
Disadvantages
- Hinting and large character sets increase size
- Not every font includes the same OpenType features
- Conversion can change tables or hinting
Comparison with alternatives
OTF commonly contains CFF outlines while TTF contains TrueType outlines; both can offer OpenType features.
WOFF2 compresses webfonts much more effectively and is intended for websites.
WOFF is an older webfont container with broad browser support.
LocalFileLab support
TTF is recognized as an input. Font tables and outlines are analysed locally.
TTF is available as a local output; available settings depend on the format.
LocalFileLab can compress TTF locally or package it in a supported archive; already compressed content will not necessarily become smaller.
A complete TTF preview is not currently available.
Complete preservation of format-specific metadata is not guaranteed.
Related formats
Frequently asked questions
Is TTF an OpenType format?
Many modern TTF files use the OpenType table structure with TrueType outlines, so the terms describe partly different layers.
Why does a TTF font look different across devices?
Rasterizers, hinting, antialiasing and supported layout features differ between systems and applications.
Can LocalFileLab output TTF?
Yes. A local TTF output path exists for supported font sources, although preservation of every advanced table is not guaranteed.