TTF to OTF Converter

Converting TTF to OTF rewrites the glyphs from TrueType's quadratic curves into the cubic PostScript curves of a CFF font. It is one of the few font conversions where the outlines come through exactly, so the real questions are hinting and whether you need it at all.

or drop TTF, OTF, WOFF … files here ·

Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes

Output

Convert to

Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.

How to use this tool

1
Upload TrueType fonts
Add .ttf files or TTC collections, up to 20 per batch and 95 MB each. Each style in a collection becomes its own OTF.
2
Decide on hinting
Convert to is set to OTF. Under Advanced settings, Hinting set to Auto-hint generates PostScript hints for the new outlines; Remove leaves them out.
3
Convert to OTF
Press Convert to OTF and download the fonts. Uninstall the TTF version before installing the OTF so apps do not see two copies of one family.

Answer

Is converting TTF to OTF lossless?

The outlines are: quadratic TrueType curves convert to cubic CFF curves exactly. TrueType hinting instructions do not carry over, so pick Auto-hint if you want new hints, and leave everything else as is.

TrueType TTF vs CFF-based OTF

TTF

TrueType outlines

Apple's format from 1991, stored in the glyf table.

Quadratic Bézier curves, one control point per segment
Hinting as bytecode instructions per glyph
Traditional grid of 2,048 units per em
Most common flavor for variable fonts

OTF

CFF (PostScript) outlines

Adobe's Compact Font Format inside OpenType, introduced with Microsoft in 1996.

Cubic Bézier curves, two control points per segment
Declarative stem and zone hints, rasterizer does the rest
Usually a 1,000-unit em grid
Subroutines can make files compact

The two flavors grew from rival technologies. Apple developed TrueType so the Mac would not depend on licensing Adobe's PostScript Type 1 fonts, and Microsoft licensed it for Windows. When Microsoft and Adobe announced OpenType together in 1996, the new format accepted both outline types in the same container, which is why an OTF and a TTF install the same way and share the same features. Adobe stopped supporting the old Type 1 format in its apps in January 2023, and OTF with CFF outlines is the format it recommends in its place.

For a converter the direction matters. A quadratic segment is a special case of a cubic one, so every TrueType curve can be rewritten in CFF with no change in shape. The em size is kept as it was, and kerning, ligatures, small caps and other layout features are copied unchanged because they live in tables that do not depend on the outlines. If you only need the font on a website, the outline flavor is irrelevant: TTF to WOFF2 is the useful conversion.

What changes when you convert TTF to OTF

Part by part, from the TTF you upload to the OTF you download
Part of the font	In the TTF	In the OTF
Outlines	Quadratic curves in `glyf`	Cubic curves in `CFF`, same shapes
Hinting	TrueType instructions	Dropped; new stem hints with Auto-hint
Layout features	GSUB and GPOS tables	Copied unchanged
Names	Family and style in `name`	Kept, or replaced by Family name and Style name
File size	Baseline	Often similar; varies with the font

Before you replace TTF fonts with OTF

Worth knowing first

Documents remember fonts by name, so they keep working when the OTF replaces the TTF.
On Windows, line breaks can shift slightly where hinting changed how widths round on screen.
Converting does not extend the license to new uses or more computers.
Keep the original TTF as the master in case a tool rejects CFF fonts.

TTF

TrueType font

TTF is the TrueType font format developed by Apple in the late 1980s and released in 1991, then licensed to Microsoft. It defines glyph outlines with quadratic curves and includes hinting instructions that make text look sharp on screens. TrueType is supported by every desktop operating system, word processor and design app. It lacks some advanced typographic features of OpenType and is larger than web font formats.

Compression: Lossless
Transparency: –
Animation: –
Introduced: 1991 · Apple

TTF converter

OTF

OpenType font

OTF is the OpenType font format, created by Microsoft and Adobe in 1996 and now the ISO standard ISO/IEC 14496-22. It can contain TrueType or PostScript (CFF) outlines and supports advanced typography such as ligatures, alternates, small caps and wide language coverage. OpenType is the standard for professional fonts on all major platforms. It is not compressed for the web, so websites usually serve WOFF2 instead.

Compression: Lossless
Transparency: –
Animation: –
Introduced: 1996 · Microsoft and Adobe

OTF converter

TTF to OTF moves a font from TrueType's quadratic outlines to the cubic PostScript outlines of a CFF font, usually to satisfy a workflow that standardizes on OTF; unlike the reverse direction, the curves convert exactly.

TTF to OTF questions

Is OTF better quality than TTF?

Neither is better in itself. A well-made TTF and a well-made OTF of the same design print identically, and both support the full set of OpenType features. Quality differences between fonts come from the drawing and spacing, not the outline flavor.

Does converting TTF to OTF change the shapes of the letters?

No. Any quadratic curve can be written exactly as a cubic curve, so the converter can express every TrueType outline in CFF without approximation. The reverse trip, OTF to TTF, is the one that has to approximate.

Why would anyone convert TTF to OTF?

Usually to meet a requirement: a brand guideline, a type library or a print workflow that standardizes on CFF fonts. Some designers also prefer cubic outlines for editing in font tools, since they match the curves used in Illustrator.

Will the OTF keep my TrueType hinting?

No. TrueType instructions are small programs written for the TrueType rasterizer and have no CFF equivalent. Choose Auto-hint to create new PostScript stem hints, which matter mostly for small text on Windows.

Will the converted OTF work in Cricut Design Space or Canva?

Cricut Design Space uses fonts installed on your computer, and both TTF and OTF install the same way, so the OTF appears like any other system font. Canva's brand-kit upload accepts OTF, TTF and WOFF files.