toolgarden.xyz
中文

Font Subset

Extract selected characters from TTF / WOFF fonts and generate a smaller TTF or WOFF subset font

Font and characters

Click or drag a font here

Supports TTF / WOFF fonts and processes files locally in your browser

Character count

0 unique characters

Subset output

Output format
Font tables

Waiting to generate a subset font

Upload a TTF or WOFF font, enter the characters to keep, then generate a new TTF or WOFF file.

About this tool

Font subsetting retains only glyphs and related data needed by selected text, substantially reducing webfont size. It is especially effective for Chinese fonts with large repertoires, but any missing runtime character falls back to another font.

A reliable subset includes visible copy, numbers, punctuation, spaces, dynamic usernames, errors, and multilingual states. A font license may restrict modification, embedding, or redistribution, so verify terms before processing.

How to use it

  1. Collect the complete character set

    Include static pages, dynamic data, punctuation, numbers, and fallback copy.

  2. Upload a licensed font and generate

    Confirm the format and license allow subsetting and the destination use.

  3. Validate on the real page

    Exercise interactive states and languages and watch for missing glyphs, fallback, and weight changes.

Supported range and limits

Input formats
TTF and WOFF font files
Output formats
A TTF or WOFF subset
Size effect
CJK fonts often run to several megabytes; embedding only the few dozen glyphs actually used typically brings that to tens of kilobytes
How glyphs are chosen
From the character set you supply. Anything omitted falls back to a system font on the page, producing visibly inconsistent letterforms
Risk with dynamic content
Usernames, comments and other runtime text cannot be known in advance, so subsetting only suits fixed copy
Licensing reminder
Not every font may be redistributed or embedded in a web page. Check the licence before processing a commercial font

When you would use it

  • Optimizing a Chinese webfont

    Output only the ideographs used by a fixed brand title or campaign page.

  • Preparing an embedded document font

    Reduce a display font for limited text when the license permits embedding.

  • Embedding a display face for fixed headline copy

    Where the copy is settled; a homepage headline, say; subsetting to the dozen glyphs used lets you ship the real brand face without the load cost.

What to know before you start

  • Dynamic content is difficult to enumerate, and omissions cause local font fallback.
  • The subset remains governed by the source font license and is not automatically freely redistributable.
  • Ligatures, combining marks, and variable-font axes require extra testing.

Related concepts

glyph
The specific font shape used to draw a character or character sequence.
font fallback
A system-selected replacement font used when the preferred font lacks a glyph.

Frequently asked questions

Does Font Subset upload my font file?
No. TTF and WOFF fonts are read, subset, and regenerated locally in your browser, so files are not uploaded to a server.
Why can the generated font still include extra glyphs?
The font library keeps required base glyphs, composite glyph dependencies, and font tables so the subset font can load and render correctly.
Can I export TTF and WOFF at the same time?
The tool currently generates one target format at a time. Switch the output format and generate again to get the matching TTF or WOFF file.
What happens to a glyph I left out?
It falls back to a system font, whose letterforms differ visibly from the subset and read as a typesetting error. So collect every string on the page that uses the face first, including buttons, hints and empty-state copy.
Can dynamic content like usernames use a subset font?
No. Text determined at runtime cannot be subsetted in advance. Use a system or full font there and reserve the subset for fixed copy; which is why subsetting is usually applied to headings rather than body text.

Related tools