What is a .woff2 file and how do I open it?

WOFF2 is the format that fonts take on the modern web. It is a TrueType or OpenType font wrapped in strong compression, so it downloads fast, which is why almost every custom web font is served as WOFF2.

What is a .woff2 file used for?

WOFF2 takes a normal font and compresses it with Brotli, cutting download size sharply compared with raw TTF or OTF.

Its whole purpose is speed on the web, where every kilobyte of a font delays text appearing. Browsers load it through the CSS @font-face rule.

The earlier WOFF did the same job with lighter compression. WOFF2 has now largely replaced it.

What opens a .woff2 file?

The .woff2 format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.

Windows

FontForge
convert to TTF to install

macOS

FontForge
convert to TTF to install

Linux

FontForge

Web

Every modern browser via @font-face

Open a .woff2 file step by step

Confirm the file really is a .woff2. Drop it into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads its signature in your browser without uploading anything.
On Windows, open it with FontForge or convert to TTF to install.
On Mac, use FontForge or convert to TTF to install.
On Linux, try FontForge.
Still stuck? Convert the .woff2 to TTF, which opens more widely.

Why can't I open my .woff2 file?

Almost always because no installed app understands WOFF2. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads. If double-clicking opens the wrong program instead of nothing at all, the file association is set to the wrong app rather than the file being broken.

The other possibility is that the file is not really a .woff2 at all. Drop it into the file identifier to check it by its bytes instead of its name. Nothing is uploaded.

How to convert a .woff2 file

You can convert a .woff2 file to TTF, OTF, WOFF using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.

What is the .woff2 file signature (magic bytes)?

A .woff2 file starts with the hex bytes 77 4F 46 32, which read as wOF2 in ASCII. Programs identify WOFF2 by those bytes, not by the filename, so a renamed file still gives itself away.

These are the documented signatures for WOFF2. For a full breakdown, see the WOFF2 file signature page.

Documented magic-byte signatures for the .woff2 format
Hex signature	Offset	ASCII	Note
77 4F 46 32	0	wOF2	'wOF2'

See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.

Frequently asked questions