WOFF2 File Format (.woff2)
A WOFF2 file wraps a TrueType or OpenType font in a Brotli-compressed container built for @font-face delivery on the web, replacing WOFF's older zlib compression.
WOFF2 at a glance#
| Full name | Web Open Font Format 2 |
|---|---|
| File extension | .woff2 |
| Category | Fonts |
| Developer | |
| First released | 2014 |
| MIME types | font/woff2 |
| Compression | Lossless |
| Specification | WOFF File Format 2.0 |
| FileFlip support | FileFlip reads and writes this format |
What a .woff2 file can hold#
These are the things a WOFF2 file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.
| Embedded metadata | Yes |
|---|
Strengths and limitations of WOFF2#
What WOFF2 does well
- Brotli compression plus font-aware preprocessing typically cuts another 30 percent off the size of the equivalent WOFF file
- Supported by every browser in current use, so there's rarely a reason to serve anything else as the primary web font
- Smaller files mean faster first paint of styled text on a page
Where WOFF2 falls short
- Not supported by Internet Explorer or very old mobile browsers, which is why it's usually paired with a WOFF fallback
- Not an installable desktop font format, so operating systems don't recognize it outside a browser
- Compression takes CPU time at build time, though that only matters for very large font-generation pipelines
Serve WOFF2 as the primary font format for any website, since it's the smallest option every current browser supports.
Convert away from WOFF2 only when a font needs to be installed on a desktop or opened by a font editor, since WOFF2 exists purely for web delivery.
How to open a .woff2 file#
A .woff2 file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts WOFF2 into a format your machine already opens, and it does it in the browser tab rather than on a server.
| Platform | Programs that open it |
|---|---|
| Windows | FontForge |
| macOS | FontForge |
| Linux | FontForge |
| Web | FileFlip |
WOFF2 questions people ask#
How much smaller is WOFF2 than WOFF?
WOFF2 typically comes in around 30 percent smaller than the same font packaged as WOFF, because it replaces WOFF's zlib compression with Brotli and adds a font-specific preprocessing step before compressing. The exact saving varies by font, but it's consistent enough that WOFF2 is the default choice for new @font-face declarations.
Do I still need WOFF if I'm using WOFF2?
Only for older browsers. Every browser still receiving security updates supports WOFF2, so a WOFF fallback in the @font-face src list mainly protects against very old or niche browsers that never added WOFF2 support, most notably Internet Explorer.
Can I install a WOFF2 file as a system font?
Not directly. WOFF2 is a web delivery format, so Windows, macOS and Linux font installers don't recognize it, and it needs converting to TTF or OTF before an operating system will install it as a usable font.
Converting WOFF2 files#
Convert WOFF2 to another format
Convert another format to WOFF2
Every conversion runs inside your browser. The file is read from your disk, the work happens on your own machine, and nothing is uploaded. How FileFlip works names the engine behind each family and how to verify that for yourself.