Font License Checker

Drop a font file you already have. In seconds, see what the file itself declares — and what it does not prove.

The font is read in your browser. It is never uploaded. How to check this yourself

Drop a font file here, or click to choose

TTF, OTF and WOFF are supported. WOFF2 and font collections (.ttc) are recognised but not supported yet.

What it checks

  • What the file declares about its licence. The font's name table: the licence description and licence URL (name IDs 13 and 14), the copyright line, trademark, manufacturer and designer.
  • Which licence that text points to. Open licences such as the SIL Open Font License, Apache-2.0, MIT and CC0 are recognised by name and by their canonical URLs. A licence that is merely based on the OFL is reported as a custom licence, not as the OFL, because the terms may differ.
  • Reserved Font Names declared in the OFL way, which decide whether you may publish a modified copy under the same name.
  • The embedding permissions in the file itself (the OS/2 fsType bits): Installable, Editable, Preview & print or Restricted, plus the "no subsetting" and "bitmap embedding only" flags.
  • Your intended use, one at a time: website or webfont, PDF embedding, editable documents, app or software embedding, modifying the font, and commercial use. Each answer says which evidence it rests on.

The two kinds of evidence are kept apart on purpose. fsType is a technical flag about embedding; it is never used to answer whether you may use the font commercially.

What it cannot tell you

  • Whether you are licensed. Most commercial fonts are sold under an agreement that lives in your receipt or the foundry's EULA, not inside the file. A font file can declare very little and still be perfectly licensed to you, or declare an open licence while the copy you have was modified by someone else.
  • Whether the file is genuine or unmodified. Anyone can edit a name table.
  • What a licence means for your specific situation. Results are a reading of the file's own text, with the rule source and version shown. This is not legal advice.
  • WOFF2 and font collections (.ttc). They are recognised and named, but not parsed yet. TTF, OTF and WOFF are.

Example

A font whose licence description points to scripts.sil.org/OFL is read as the SIL Open Font License, so using it on a website is permitted by the declared licence, and renaming a modified copy is restricted if the file declares a Reserved Font Name. A font whose only licence text is "All rights reserved. See our EULA" is reported as Unknown: not forbidden, not permitted, simply not stated in the file. If that same file sets fsType to Restricted, PDF embedding is flagged even though nothing is known about the wider licence.

FAQ

Does my font file get uploaded?
No. It is read in your browser with JavaScript and never leaves your computer. There is no upload and no server call, which you can confirm in your browser's network tab. The Trust Center explains how to check.
Does "Installable embedding" mean I can use the font commercially?
No. fsType only describes embedding a font inside a document or application. Commercial use is a licence question, and this tool answers it only from the licence text the file declares.
The result says Unknown. What now?
The file simply does not state the answer. Check your purchase or download page, the foundry's licence page, or the folder the font came in. Unknown never means "not allowed".
Can I check a font I found on a website?
You can read any font file you have, but what the file declares is not proof you may use it. Download pages and marketplaces carry the terms that actually bind you.
Which formats work?
TTF, OTF and WOFF are parsed. WOFF2 and font collections (.ttc) are recognised but not supported yet.

Guides

Using Creative Commons images, music or text too? Check whether they can be combined →