# Extract fonts from a PDF

List the fonts a PDF uses with `sumatrapdf-tool info -F`, and save the embedded font files with `sumatrapdf-tool extract`.

**Available in [pre-release 3.7](https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org/prerelease)**

**Run `sumatrapdf-tool extract file.pdf` to save every embedded font (and image).** At a glance:

- **List fonts:** `sumatrapdf-tool info -F file.pdf`
- **Which fonts are embedded:** **Document Properties** in SumatraPDF (`Ctrl + D`)
- **Save all fonts and images:** `sumatrapdf-tool extract file.pdf`
- **Save one font:** `sumatrapdf-tool extract file.pdf <font descriptor number>`

Use `sumatrapdf-tool.exe`, or [SumatraPDF.exe <tool>](Tools.md) with the same arguments.

## List the fonts in a PDF

```
sumatrapdf-tool info -F fonts.pdf
```

```
fonts.pdf:

PDF-1.7

Pages: 1

Retrieving info from pages 1-1...
Fonts (3):
	1	(12 0 R):	TrueType "Georgia" WinAnsiEncoding (3 0 R)
	1	(12 0 R):	TrueType "Consolas" WinAnsiEncoding (6 0 R)
	1	(12 0 R):	Type1 "Helvetica" WinAnsiEncoding (9 0 R)
```

Each line is: page number, the page's object, font type, font name, encoding and the font's object number.

- A name like `EASOZS+Times-Roman` (6 letters and `+`) is a subset: only the characters used in the document are embedded.
- `info` doesn't say whether a font is embedded. In SumatraPDF, open the PDF and press `Ctrl + D` (**File → Properties**). The **Fonts:** list at the bottom marks embedded fonts, e.g. `Georgia (TrueType; Ansi; embedded)`.

Add a page list to see the fonts of some pages only: `sumatrapdf-tool info -F file.pdf 2-3`.

## Save all embedded fonts

```
sumatrapdf-tool extract fonts.pdf
```

```
extracting font-0005.ttf
extracting font-0008.ttf
```

- Files are written to the current folder, not the folder of the PDF.
- `extract` also saves all images (`image-0003.png`, ...). See [Extract images from a PDF](Tool-x-extract-images-from-pdf.md).
- Fonts that aren't embedded (like `Helvetica` above) are skipped: there is no font file in the PDF.
- Existing files with the same name are overwritten.

The file name is `font-<number>.<ext>`. The number is the object number of the font's descriptor, padded to 4 digits. The extension is the font format:

| Extension | Font format                        |
| --------- | ---------------------------------- |
| `.ttf`    | TrueType                           |
| `.cff`    | Type 1 font in CFF (compact) form  |
| `.cid`    | CID font in CFF form               |
| `.otf`    | OpenType                           |
| `.pfa`    | Type 1                             |

For example, a PDF made by groff has its Type 1 fonts stored as CFF:

```
extracting font-0008.cff
extracting font-0010.cff
extracting font-0012.cff
extracting font-0014.cff
extracting font-0016.cff
```

## Save one font

`extract` takes the object number of the font's descriptor, which is not the number `info -F` shows. To find it, show the font object from `info -F` (here `3`) with [`sumatrapdf-tool show`](Tool-show.md):

```
sumatrapdf-tool show fonts.pdf 3
```

The output contains a line like `/FontDescriptor 5 0 R`. Extract object `5`:

```
sumatrapdf-tool extract fonts.pdf 5
```

```
extracting font-0005.ttf
```

Note: `sumatrapdf-tool extract fonts.pdf 3` (the number from `info -F`) saves nothing and reports no error.

## When extract finds no fonts

Some PDFs (for example, one made with **Microsoft Print to PDF**) keep the font descriptor inside the font object instead of as a separate object. `extract` doesn't see those fonts and saves nothing. Save the font data with `show` instead:

1. Show the font object from `info -F`:

   ```
   sumatrapdf-tool show lorem.pdf 11
   ```

2. Find the font file in the output, e.g. `/FontFile2 8 0 R` (`FontFile2` is TrueType, `FontFile3` is CFF or OpenType, `FontFile` is Type 1).
3. Save that object's data:

   ```
   sumatrapdf-tool show -b -o font.ttf lorem.pdf 8
   ```

`-b` writes the decompressed stream data only, which is the font file.

## Tips

- Subset fonts contain only the characters used in the document; they are not complete fonts.
- A `.cff` or `.cid` file is bare font data; Windows can't install it without converting it first.
- Check the font's license before you reuse it; embedding a font in a PDF doesn't make it free to use.
- To extract fonts from many PDFs, see [Process many PDFs at once](Batch-process-PDFs.md).

## See also

- [sumatrapdf-tool extract](Tool-extract.md)
- [sumatrapdf-tool info](Tool-info.md)
- [sumatrapdf-tool show](Tool-show.md)
- [See PDF info: pages, page size, fonts, security](Show-PDF-info.md)
- [All cmd-line tools](Tools.md)