FILE FORMAT GUIDE
WOFF2 File: What It Is & How to Open It
A WOFF2 file packages OpenType or TrueType font data for linked web fonts using preprocessing and Brotli-based compression.
Compare the reviewed WOFF2 header signature with the filename in your browser.
Check supported file headersQuick facts
- Extension
- .woff2
- Format
- Web Open Font Format 2
- Category
- font
- MIME type
- font/woff2
- Standard / developer
- W3C
- Open with
- FontForge
What is WOFF2?
WOFF2 has a 48-byte header, table directory and one compressed font-data stream, with optional metadata and private-data blocks. It is packaging for web delivery, not a new outline model.
How to open WOFF2
FontForgeWindows / macOS / Linux
Open the WOFF2 file in FontForge to inspect glyphs and metadata. WOFF2 is primarily a web-font format and is normally loaded by a website through CSS.
Common uses and compatibility
- Deliver linked fonts through CSS @font-face
Things to check
- Linked WOFF2 fonts are scoped to the documents that reference them and are not installed as general system fonts.
Advanced inspection
These developer and command-line workflows inspect structure or metadata. They are not the default way most people open the file.
fontTools TTFontPython library
Open the file with TTFont("font.woff2", lazy=True), inspect keys or selected tables, and close it. Do not call save when the task is read-only. WOFF2 support may require optional dependencies.
Technical details
- Signature
- 77 4F 46 32 (wOF2)
- Encoding
- Not applicable
- Container
- WOFF2 font packaging
- Compression
- Brotli with font-aware preprocessing
Related formats
- TrueType Font
TTF is a desktop and interchange font form; WOFF2 repackages font data with compression for web delivery.
- OpenType CFF Font
OTF is an OpenType font form; WOFF2 is compressed web-delivery packaging that can carry OpenType font data.
Sources & review
Sources reviewed 2026-09-19.