macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install fontforgelocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install fontforgeMacPorts ports tree · graphics/fontforge/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install fontforge with Homebrew, apk, chocolatey, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper
Command-line outline and bitmap font editor/converter. Version 20251009 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add fontforgeAlpine Linux edge package indexes · fontforge · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install fontforgeDebian stable package indexes · fontforge · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install fontforgeFedora Rawhide package metadata · fontforge · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#fontforgenixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/fo/fontforge/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S fontforgeArch Linux sync databases · fontforge · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install fontforgeopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · fontforge · source: download.opensuse.org
Windows
Chocolateyverified · 92%
choco install fontforgeChocolatey community package catalog · fontforge · source: community.chocolatey.org
Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install extras/fontforgeScoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/fontforge.json · source: api.github.com
Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id FontForge.FontForge -eWindows Package Manager source index · FontForge.FontForge · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com
overview
Package summary
Command-line outline and bitmap font editor/converter
Project links
Commands and aliases
- acorn2sfd
- dewoff
- findtable
- fontforge
- fontimage
- fontlint
- pcl2ttf
- pfadecrypt
- rmligamarks
- sfddiff
- showttf
- stripttc
- ttf2eps
- woff
history
Project history and usage
FontForge is a free font editor and converter for creating, editing, inspecting, and converting outline and bitmap fonts across formats such as OpenType, TrueType, UFO, CID-keyed fonts, and Multiple Master fonts.
Project history
FontForge began as PfaEdit, written by George Williams after experiments with Unicode font work and PostScript font editing. The official history says the first web-posted version appeared on November 7, 2000, and that the project moved to SourceForge in April 2001.
PfaEdit expanded quickly: support for pfb, TrueType, BDF, Type 2/OpenType-in-sfnt, CID-keyed fonts, internationalized user interfaces, OpenType GSUB/GPOS features, scripting, FreeType-backed debugging, SVG fonts, and Multiple Master support all arrived in the early 2000s. In March 2004, after users argued that `PfaEdit` no longer described the program, it was renamed FontForge.
The current project is community-maintained. The README describes FontForge as free software for Windows, Mac OS X, and GNU/Linux, and the documentation identifies copyright by George Williams for 2000-2012 and FontForge authors thereafter.
Adoption history
FontForge grew from a personal editor into a community font-engineering tool because it handled many formats and exposed both a graphical interface and scripting. The official history highlights user requests and conference feedback as drivers for features such as SVG fonts, multi-master support, internationalization, and scripting.
Its modern homepage presents downloads, documentation, development links, mailing-list help, and a GitHub organization, reflecting its transition from a SourceForge-era desktop application into a long-lived open-source typography project.
How it is used
Users launch the FontForge GUI for visual font editing, or use bundled command-line utilities such as `fontforge`, `fontlint`, `sfddiff`, `fontimage`, and conversion helpers for automated inspection and conversion workflows.
Why package nerds care
FontForge is package-nerd significant because it is both an application and a toolbox: distributions package it for desktop font designers, automated font QA, format conversion, and build pipelines that need scriptable font manipulation without proprietary editors.
Timeline
- 2000: The first PfaEdit version was posted to the web on November 7.
- 2001: PfaEdit moved to SourceForge and gained Type 2/OpenType-in-sfnt, CID-keyed font, and early internationalization support.
- 2002: PfaEdit gained a scripting interface.
- 2004: PfaEdit was renamed FontForge in March.
- 2012: Copyright stewardship shifted from George Williams to the broader FontForge authors.
- 2025: The official documentation identifies the 20251009 documentation release.
Related projects
- FontForge is related to FreeType, SourceForge-era PfaEdit, Design With FontForge, UFO workflows, OpenType/TrueType tooling, and the wider open-source type-design ecosystem.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:decrypt,image
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 17 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 4 build dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
acorn2sfd | cli | global executable | |
dewoff | cli | global executable | |
findtable | cli | global executable | |
fontforge | cli | global executable | |
fontimage | cli | global executable | |
fontlint | cli | global executable | |
pcl2ttf | cli | global executable | |
pfadecrypt | cli | global executable | |
rmligamarks | cli | global executable | |
sfddiff | cli | global executable | |
showttf | cli | global executable | |
stripttc | cli | global executable | |
ttf2eps | cli | global executable | |
woff | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version20251009
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/fontforge/fontforge
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/fontforge/fontforgenone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:fontforge |
|---|---|
| Version | 20251009 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/fontforge |
| Homepage | https://fontforge.github.io |
| Repository | https://github.com/fontforge/fontforge |
| Upstream docs | https://fontforge.org/docs/index.html |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://github.com/fontforge/fontforge/releases/download/20251009/fontforge-20251009.tar.xz |
| Dependencies | brotli, cairo, fontconfig, freetype, gettext, giflib, glib, jpeg-turbo, libpng, libspiro, libtiff, libtool, libuninameslist, pango, python@3.14, readline, woff2 |
| Build dependencies | cmake, gettext, ninja, pkgconf |
| Uses from macOS | libxml2 |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
| Caveats | This formula only installs the command line utilities. FontForge.app can be downloaded directly from the website: https://fontforge.github.io Alternatively, install with Homebrew Cask: brew install --cask fontforge |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | fontforge |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 1 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
fontforge 1:20230101~dfsg-4+b1
font editor
https://fontforge.github.io/en-US/
sudo apt install fontforge- Section: fonts
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: fontforge
- 9 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 4 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
Debian apt95%
fontforge-common 1:20230101~dfsg-4
font editor (common files)
https://fontforge.github.io/en-US/
sudo apt install fontforge-common- Section: fonts
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: fontforge
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
Debian apt95%
fontforge-doc 1:20230101~dfsg-4
documentation for fontforge
https://fontforge.github.io/en-US/
sudo apt install fontforge-doc- Section: doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: fontforge
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
Debian apt95%
fontforge-extras 1:20230101~dfsg-4+b1
font editor - extra programs
https://fontforge.github.io/en-US/
sudo apt install fontforge-extras- Section: fonts
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: fontforge
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
Debian apt95%
fontforge-nox 1:20230101~dfsg-4+b1
font editor - non-X version
https://fontforge.github.io/en-US/
sudo apt install fontforge-nox- Section: fonts
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: fontforge
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
Debian apt95%
libfontforge4 1:20230101~dfsg-4+b1
font editor - runtime library
https://fontforge.github.io/en-US/
sudo apt install libfontforge4- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: fontforge
- 15 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
Debian apt95%
python3-fontforge 1:20230101~dfsg-4+b1
font editor - Python bindings
https://fontforge.github.io/en-US/
sudo apt install python3-fontforge- Section: python
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: fontforge
- 2 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
Nix95%
fontforge
nix profile install nixpkgs#fontforge- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
Ubuntu apt95%
fontforge 1:20230101~dfsg-1.1build1
font editor
https://fontforge.github.io/en-US/
sudo apt install fontforge- Section: universe/x11
- Architecture: amd64
- 9 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 4 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
Ubuntu apt95%
fontforge-common 1:20230101~dfsg-1.1build1
font editor (common files)
https://fontforge.github.io/en-US/
sudo apt install fontforge-common- Section: universe/fonts
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: fontforge
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
Ubuntu apt95%
fontforge-doc 1:20230101~dfsg-1.1build1
documentation for fontforge
https://fontforge.github.io/en-US/
sudo apt install fontforge-doc- Section: universe/doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: fontforge
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
Ubuntu apt95%
fontforge-extras 1:20230101~dfsg-1.1build1
font editor - extra programs
https://fontforge.github.io/en-US/
sudo apt install fontforge-extras- Section: universe/x11
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: fontforge
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
Ubuntu apt95%
fontforge-nox 1:20230101~dfsg-1.1build1
font editor - non-X version
https://fontforge.github.io/en-US/
sudo apt install fontforge-nox- Section: universe/graphics
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: fontforge
- 3 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
Ubuntu apt95%
libfontforge4 1:20230101~dfsg-1.1build1
font editor - runtime library
https://fontforge.github.io/en-US/
sudo apt install libfontforge4- Section: universe/libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: fontforge
- 15 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
Ubuntu apt95%
python3-fontforge 1:20230101~dfsg-1.1build1
font editor - Python bindings
https://fontforge.github.io/en-US/
sudo apt install python3-fontforge- Section: universe/python
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: fontforge
- 2 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
apk95%
fontforge 20251009-r1
Free (libre) font editor (CLI tools)
sudo apk add fontforge- License: GPL-3.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: fontforge
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Fontforge
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment