What App Opens WOFF Files? 7 Options That Work

You have a WOFF file and no idea which app opens it. Your computer does not help. Windows asks you to pick an app. macOS shows a blank icon. This guide lists seven apps and tools that can open WOFF files, what each one is good for, and which one you should pick.

First, why normal apps do not open WOFF files

WOFF stands for Web Open Font Format. It is a font packed for websites. Browsers download WOFF files to draw text on web pages. Desktop apps, on the other hand, expect installed fonts in TTF or OTF format.

That means two things:

• Your system font tools, like Windows Font Viewer and Mac Font Book, do not open WOFF files.
• Apps like Word, Photoshop and Canva cannot use a WOFF file directly.

So the right app depends on what you want to do. Do you want to look at the font? Edit it? Install it? Here are your options.

Quick answer

What you want	Best app	Cost
See the font, its name and glyphs	Open WOFF File (browser)	Free
Convert to TTF and install	Open WOFF File (browser)	Free
Edit glyphs or font data	FontForge	Free
Convert many files with a script	fontTools (Python)	Free
Find fonts a website uses	Browser developer tools	Free
Professional font design	Glyphs or FontLab	Paid

Now let us look at each one.

1. Open WOFF File (any browser)

This is our own tool, so we are biased. But for most people, it is the fastest way to open a WOFF file. It runs in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone.

What it does:

• Shows a live preview you can type into
• Shows the font at four sizes
• Reads the name, style, version, designer and license
• Shows every glyph with its Unicode code
• Converts WOFF and WOFF2 to TTF or OTF

Your file is not uploaded. Everything happens in your browser, so it is safe for paid fonts and client work.

How to use it: open openwofffile.com, drop the file on the pink box, and scroll down.

2. Your web browser (on a web page)

Every modern browser supports WOFF and WOFF2. Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari all read them. But a browser alone does not show you a font file. If you open a WOFF file directly, the browser usually just downloads it again or shows a blank page.

Browsers use fonts inside web pages. That is why a browser-based viewer, like option 1, is useful. It gives the browser a page that displays the font for you.

3. FontForge

FontForge is a free, open source font editor for Windows, Mac and Linux. It is the most capable free tool for working with fonts.

What it does:

• Opens WOFF files, and WOFF2 in recent builds
• Shows every glyph in a grid
• Lets you edit shapes, spacing and names
• Saves the font as TTF, OTF, WOFF, WOFF2 or SVG
• Shows detailed font info, like weight class and version

The downside is the learning curve. The interface is old-fashioned and has many menus. If you only want to look at a font, it is overkill. If you want to change a font, it is the best free choice. Our guide on how to edit a WOFF file walks you through it.

4. fontTools (Python)

fontTools is a Python library that many font makers use. It runs from the command line. It is not an app you click around in, but it is very powerful.

What it does:

• Reads and writes WOFF and WOFF2
• Converts fonts between formats
• Dumps font data to readable XML with the ttx command
• Subsets fonts to make them smaller

It is great for developers who need to process many fonts. You can install it with pip install fonttools brotli. The brotli part adds WOFF2 support.

5. Browser developer tools

Every desktop browser has developer tools. Press F12 in Chrome, Edge or Firefox to open them. They do not open a WOFF file from your computer, but they help in a different way.

What they do:

• List every font file a website loads (Network tab, Font filter)
• Show which font is used for any piece of text (Inspect, then Computed)
• Let you save a site’s font files so you can open them elsewhere

This is the tool you want if you are asking “what font is this website using?”

6. Glyphs (Mac)

Glyphs is a professional font editor for macOS. Type designers use it to make fonts. It can import and export WOFF and WOFF2 files. It is a paid app, with a cheaper “Mini” version. You only need it if you design or seriously edit fonts.

7. FontLab (Windows and Mac)

FontLab is another professional font editor. It opens many formats, including WOFF and WOFF2. Like Glyphs, it is paid and made for type designers. For a quick look at a font, it is far more than you need.

Apps that do NOT open WOFF files

It helps to know what will not work, so you do not waste time.

App	Can it open WOFF?	What to do instead
Windows Font Viewer	No	Use a browser viewer, or convert to TTF
Mac Font Book	No	Use a browser viewer, or convert to TTF or OTF
Microsoft Word	No	Convert to TTF and install
Adobe Photoshop	No	Convert to TTF or OTF and install
Notepad or TextEdit	Shows raw data only	Use a font viewer

Design apps like Word, Photoshop, Illustrator and GIMP only use fonts installed on your system. So the path is always the same: convert the WOFF file to TTF, install it, then pick it in the app. See how to convert WOFF to TTF and how to install a WOFF font on Windows.

A note on online tools that upload your file

Search for “WOFF viewer” and you will find many sites. Some of them upload your font to their server, process it there, and send back a preview or a converted file. That can work fine, but it has downsides:

• Your font leaves your device. For paid fonts, client fonts or unreleased brand fonts, that may break your license or your contract.
• Big files take longer, because they travel both ways.
• You depend on the site’s server being up.

Tools that run in the browser avoid all three problems. The font is read on your own device. If a site does not say where your file goes, assume it is uploaded.

Which app should you choose?

Here is a simple way to decide.

• You just want to see the font: use a browser viewer. It takes ten seconds.
• You want to know the font’s name: use a browser viewer and read the Font information panel. Our guide on finding the font name explains the fields.
• You want to use the font in Word or Photoshop: convert it to TTF, then install it.
• You want to change the font: use FontForge.
• You need to convert hundreds of files: use fontTools.
• You want to know what font a website uses: use browser developer tools.

What about WOFF2 files?

WOFF2 is the newer version of WOFF. It is smaller and more common on modern websites. Most of the apps above open WOFF2 as well. The browser viewer does. FontForge does in recent versions. fontTools does if you install brotli. For more, read what app opens WOFF2 files.

Opening WOFF files on your phone

Phones have no font apps built in, so a browser tool is the only easy option. On Android, use Chrome. On iPhone and iPad, use Safari. Go to the viewer, tap the pink box and pick your file. You can view the font, read its details and see the glyphs.

Common questions

Is there an official WOFF app?

No. WOFF is an open web standard, not a product. There is no official viewer. Browsers support it, and many tools can read it.

Can I open WOFF files without the internet?

Partly. Our viewer needs the internet to load the page. After that, WOFF, TTF and OTF files open even offline. WOFF2 files need a small reader that loads the first time you open one, so open one WOFF2 file while you are still online. FontForge and fontTools work fully offline once installed.

Which app is safest?

Tools that run on your own device. Our viewer does not upload your file. FontForge and fontTools run locally too. Be careful with online tools that upload your file to a server, especially for paid or private fonts.

Why does my WOFF file open as gibberish?

You opened it in a text editor. WOFF files are compressed binary data, not text. Use a font viewer instead.

Summary

No built-in app on Windows or Mac opens WOFF files. For a quick look, use a free browser viewer. To use the font in other apps, convert it to TTF and install it. To edit it, use FontForge. For bulk work, use fontTools. And if you just want to know what font a website uses, press F12.

If you still cannot open your file, check our list of fixes for WOFF fonts that will not open.