Convert UFO Files Free
Professional UFO file conversion tool
Drop your files here
or click to browse files
Supported Formats
Convert between all major file formats with high quality
Desktop Fonts
TrueType Font - universal desktop font format developed by Apple and Microsoft in the 1980s. Uses quadratic Bézier curves for glyph outlines. Excellent screen rendering with hinting technology. Works on all platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux). Supports Unicode with up to 65,536 glyphs. Standard desktop font format with maximum compatibility. Perfect for document embedding, desktop publishing, and cross-platform typography. Universal support in all operating systems and applications. Reliable choice for general-purpose font usage.
OpenType Font - modern font format jointly developed by Adobe and Microsoft (1996) extending TrueType. Uses cubic Bézier curves (PostScript outlines) allowing more complex glyph shapes. Supports advanced typography features (ligatures, alternate glyphs, contextual substitutions). Can contain up to 65,536 glyphs enabling comprehensive language support. Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, Mac, Linux). Industry standard for professional typography and multilingual documents. Perfect for print design, branding, and high-quality typography. Superior to TTF for complex scripts and advanced typographic features.
Mac Data Fork Font - legacy Macintosh font format storing TrueType/PostScript data in data fork. Used in Mac OS 9 and earlier. Phased out with Mac OS X transition to .ttf and .otf. Contains complete font data in single file (unlike resource fork fonts). Limited compatibility with modern systems. Convert to TTF or OTF for current macOS and cross-platform use. Historical format important for accessing old Mac fonts. Mainly encountered when migrating legacy Mac systems.
Compact Font Format - Adobe's space-efficient font outline format used within OpenType fonts. Stores glyph outlines using PostScript-based charstrings. More compact than TrueType outlines. Used in OTF fonts with PostScript outlines. Not standalone font file - embedded in OTF. Professional typography standard. Better compression than TTF outlines. Extract from OTF or work with complete OTF fonts.
CID-Keyed Font - Adobe font format for large character sets (Asian languages with thousands of characters). Character ID based system for efficient large font handling. Used in professional CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) typography. Complex format requiring PostScript RIP support. Legacy format superseded by Unicode OpenType. Convert to modern OTF with Unicode mapping for compatibility. Important for accessing legacy Asian language fonts.
Spline Font Database - FontForge's native font format. Editable font source format storing complete font data including editing information. ASCII or binary format with full font metadata. Used in font design and development. Convert to TTF/OTF for deployable fonts. Perfect for font design workflow. Maintains complete font development history. FontForge is free open-source font editor.
Unified Font Object - open source font source format (XML-based directory structure). Developed by font tool creators for interoperability. Stores complete font design data in human-readable XML. Used by modern font editors (RoboFont, Glyphs, FontForge). Perfect for font development and version control. Industry standard for open font source files. Compile to TTF/OTF for distribution. Excellent for collaborative font design.
Web Formats
Web Open Font Format - font format specifically designed for web use (2009). Compressed TrueType/OpenType fonts reducing file size by ~40%. Supported by 99% of browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge). Includes metadata for licensing and font information. Perfect for website typography ensuring consistent rendering across devices. Industry standard for web fonts. Faster page loads than raw TTF/OTF. Essential for modern web design and custom typography. Recommended for broad web compatibility.
WOFF 2.0 - improved web font format (2014) with better compression using Brotli algorithm. 30% smaller than WOFF with faster decompression. Supported by all modern browsers (96%+ global coverage). Maintains WOFF's metadata and licensing features. Superior performance for web typography. Recommended format for modern websites. Falls back to WOFF for older browsers. Essential for optimizing website performance and reducing bandwidth. Default choice for contemporary web development.
Embedded OpenType - proprietary web font format developed by Microsoft for Internet Explorer. Compressed and subset fonts with DRM protection. Only supported by Internet Explorer (legacy browser). Obsolete format replaced by WOFF/WOFF2. Historically important for web fonts (1997-2010s). Still encountered in legacy websites. Not recommended for new projects. Convert to WOFF2/WOFF for modern browsers. Maintained only for backward compatibility with old IE versions.
SVG Font - vector-based font format embedded in SVG files. Defines glyphs as SVG paths allowing colors, gradients, and effects. Deprecated for web use in favor of WOFF. Limited browser support (only Safari supports SVG fonts). Larger file sizes than outline fonts. Mainly historical format. Useful for special effects and colored fonts. Modern alternative: OpenType-SVG. Not recommended for general use. Better options: WOFF2 with icon fonts or OpenType color fonts.
Specialized Formats
PostScript Font Binary - Adobe Type 1 binary format for professional printing (1984). Contains glyph outlines in PostScript language. Excellent print quality with precise curves. Requires corresponding PFM or AFM metrics file. Standard in professional publishing and printing industry. Limited to 256 glyphs (single-byte encoding). Being replaced by OpenType. Still used in legacy publishing workflows. Convert to OTF for modern compatibility while preserving PostScript quality.
PostScript Font ASCII - Adobe Type 1 ASCII variant of PFB format. Human-readable PostScript code defining font outlines. Used for font development and debugging. Less efficient than PFB binary format. Requires PFM or AFM metrics file. Same quality as PFB for printing. Legacy format for professional typography. Convert to OTF for modern systems. Primarily historical significance in desktop publishing evolution.
Printer Font Metrics - Windows metrics file for Type 1 PostScript fonts. Contains font measurements (character widths, kerning pairs, bounding boxes). Required companion to PFB/PFA for proper rendering on Windows. Text file format with font metrics data. Does not contain glyph outlines. Legacy format from Windows 3.1/95 era. Used with PFB for complete Type 1 font installation. Modern OpenType fonts include metrics internally. Convert Type 1 fonts to OTF to consolidate metrics and outlines.
Adobe Font Metrics - Adobe's metrics format for Type 1 PostScript fonts. Contains character widths, kerning pairs, ligatures, and bounding boxes. ASCII text format readable by humans and applications. Companion to PFB/PFA outline files. Used by font design tools and professional publishing software. Essential for proper font spacing and kerning. Legacy format with historical importance in digital typography. Modern fonts embed metrics in OTF format. Convert to OpenType for integrated metrics and outlines.
Binary Font File - generic binary font data format used by various font tools and editors. Contains raw font outline data without specific format wrapper. Used in font development and conversion pipelines. Requires specific tools to process. Not a standard end-user format. Intermediate format in font creation workflow. Convert to TTF or OTF for usable fonts. Primarily relevant in font design and development contexts.
Mac Suitcase Font - legacy Macintosh font container (Mac OS Classic) storing multiple fonts in one file. Contains TrueType or PostScript fonts in resource fork. Used with Font Suitcase format (.suit extension). Obsolete with Mac OS X migration. Poor compatibility with modern systems. Required Font/DA Mover for installation on old Macs. Extract individual fonts and convert to TTF/OTF for modern use. Important for recovering fonts from classic Mac archives and systems.
PostScript Font Program - Adobe PostScript Type 1 font in PostScript language format. Contains font outlines as PostScript code. Used for printer font downloads and font development. Human-readable but inefficient. Legacy format from desktop publishing era. Convert to OTF for modern usage. Historical importance in professional typography. Mainly encountered in old publishing workflows.
PageMaker 3 Font - legacy font format from Aldus PageMaker 3.0 (1980s desktop publishing). Proprietary format specific to early PageMaker versions. Obsolete format with no modern support. Important only for recovering old PageMaker documents. Convert to TTF/OTF if font data recoverable. Historical artifact from desktop publishing evolution. Better alternatives available for all uses.
Type 11 Font - variant of PostScript CID-Keyed font format. Used for complex fonts with large character sets. Legacy format for Asian language fonts. Limited modern support. Convert to Unicode OpenType for compatibility. Historical format in CJK font development. Modern alternatives handle large character sets better with Unicode.
Type 42 Font - PostScript font format wrapping TrueType outlines. Hybrid format combining PostScript wrapper with TrueType data. Used for downloading TrueType fonts to PostScript printers. Primarily printer-internal format. Limited end-user relevance. Convert underlying TrueType to TTF/OTF. Historical bridge between TrueType and PostScript worlds.
How to Convert Files
Upload your files, select output format, and download converted files instantly. Our converter supports batch conversion and maintains high quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a UFO font file and why is it widely used in modern type design?
A UFO file is a folder-based, human-readable source format that stores glyphs, metadata, kerning, components, and design layers.
It acts as the editable master from which final fonts like OTF or TTF are generated.
Its openness and clarity make it a standard in collaborative and scripted workflows.
Why is UFO structured as a directory rather than a single-file format?
Separating glyphs, metadata, and library data avoids monolithic, opaque containers.
This structure makes version control, diffing, and merging far more precise.
It also simplifies automated tooling for designers and developers.
Why does UFO store glyphs as individual XML files instead of binary data?
XML is readable by both humans and software, enabling easy debugging and inspection.
Binary formats hide structure and complicate cross-platform tooling.
The XML model supports transparency in every stage of font development.
Why do major tools like RoboFont, Glyphs (via converters), and FontLab support UFO?
UFO offers a neutral, open standard that avoids vendor lock-in.
Designers can switch tools without losing data or reformatting projects.
Its compatibility fosters a robust ecosystem of editors and scripts.
Why do emerging font build systems rely on UFO as their starting point?
Tools like fontmake, ufo2ft, and AFDKO can programmatically consume UFO data.
The clean separation of outlines and metadata makes automated generation reliable.
This supports CI pipelines, batch builds, and reproducible fonts.
Why does UFO separate kerning, groups, features, and glyph data?
Complex typographic rules require modular storage for clarity and maintainability.
Feature code must be independent of outline geometry.
This modular design enhances both editing and collaboration.
Why does UFO maintain strict version specifications such as UFO2 and UFO3?
Each version defines how outlines, components, and metadata must be structured.
Clear specifications ensure tools interpret the data consistently.
This stability is essential for long-term, large-scale font projects.
Why is UFO ideal for scripting and automation in Python-based workflows?
UFO data maps cleanly to Python structures via libraries like defcon and fontParts.
Designers can automate repetitive tasks such as spacing, interpolation, and cleanup.
This reduces manual labor and speeds up complex projects.
Why do some designers prefer UFO over binary .glyphs source files?
UFO is fully open and does not depend on any proprietary editor.
It offers stronger guarantees for long-term archiving and interoperability.
Its structure makes team-oriented workflows more resilient.
Why does UFO store components and references rather than flattening outlines?
Component-based design ensures consistency across repeated shapes like accents or serifs.
It makes updates propagate automatically through the glyph set.
Flattening outlines is reserved for final builds, not the source.
Why do variable font projects often use UFO masters in their development process?
Each UFO file represents a distinct master for interpolation axes.
UFO keeps outlines and point structures synced between masters.
This alignment is crucial for generating high-quality variable fonts.
Why is UFO well-suited for teaching and academic research in typography?
Its transparency helps students understand the internal logic of font construction.
Researchers can analyze glyph geometry, feature code, and kerning algorithms directly.
The format encourages experimentation with code-driven type design.
Why do advanced tools embed metadata and design notes inside the UFO library?
The library allows custom data such as stylistic decisions, build parameters, or editor settings.
This supports complex workflows where multiple tools coordinate through shared metadata.
It keeps all project-relevant information in one structured source.
Why is UFO preferred for long-term preservation of typeface projects?
Its plain-text, open-standard architecture avoids proprietary lock-in.
Future tools can parse or convert UFO files without reverse-engineering.
This ensures that fonts remain editable decades after their creation.
Why should designers avoid distributing UFO files as final fonts?
UFO is a working source format, not an installable font.
It lacks compiled instructions, optimized outlines, and final feature structures required by OTF or TTF.
Distribution requires exporting and validating through a proper font-building pipeline.