Free font editor for custom TTF, OTF, and SVG fonts

Tool powered by Birdfont on Birdfont.

Draw vector glyphs, export OTF and TTF, install on Mac. Free vector font editor for custom type design.

What is Birdfont?

Birdfont is a free font editor for drawing vector glyphs and exporting TTF, OTF, and SVG fonts—including color font workflows. Designers use it when they want to create your own font free without a subscription, then install on Mac, Windows, or Linux. This site does not distribute installers; use the publisher download page on the site.

What Birdfont offers

Capabilities for custom type design—create your own font free, then export OTF, TTF, and SVG.

  • Multi-format OTF and TTF export

    Export TTF, OTF, and SVG for web and desktop—know when OTF or TTF fits your design tools best.

  • Vector glyph editing

    Draw outlines with control points and guides in the bird font editor.

  • SVG and color fonts

    Export SVG fonts or explore color font features for experimental typography.

  • Kerning and spacing

    Tune side bearings, classes, and kerning pairs.

  • Cross-platform download

    Installers for Windows, Linux, macOS, and BSD from the publisher download page.

  • Tutorials and documentation

    Editing guides and image-to-font tutorials linked from the publisher site.

How to use Birdfont

From download to exported font files—create your own font free, then install and test.

  1. Open Birdfont

    Use the iframe or open the official Birdfont site in a new tab to reach download and docs.

  2. Install the desktop app

    Download the build for your OS from the publisher site for the full app.

  3. Create a font project

    Set metadata, metrics, and your first glyphs to create your own font free.

  4. Draw and kern

    Refine shapes and spacing before export.

  5. Export OTF or TTF

    Generate files and test in target apps at multiple sizes.

  6. Install and validate on Mac

    Follow install font Mac steps (or other OS), then proof in Pages, Figma, or system UI.

Tips for better font output

Quality checks before you ship a family.
  • 01

    Keep a consistent baseline

    Use guides so cap height and x-height stay even.

  • 02

    Test at small sizes

    Glyphs that look fine large may fail in body text.

  • 03

    Validate spacing early

    Fix side bearings during development, not after export.

  • 04

    Export iteratively

    Version exports and test compatibility in each target app.

Who this is for

Roles building custom typography with a free font editor.

  • Type designers

    Display and text experiments with full export control.

  • Brand teams

    Proprietary fonts for product and marketing.

  • Developers

    Prepare webfont files for embedding in apps.

  • Students

    Learn type design by editing and exporting real files.

Why open Birdfont

Official site in your font toolkit—download and docs from the publisher.

  • Stable directory path

    Link `/birdfont` in docs and onboarding.

  • Free entry point

    Core editing without a paid barrier on the publisher site.

  • This site does not host Birdfont

    The editor and installers live on the official Birdfont site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about this tool—open a question to read more.