FILE FORMAT GUIDE

Web Open Font Format 2 (.WOFF2): Tables & Safe Inspection

A WOFF2 file packages OpenType or TrueType font data for linked web fonts using preprocessing and Brotli-based compression.

Check supported header evidence locally. Identification is not file validation or a malware scan.

Analyze a file locally

Quick facts

Extension
.woff2
Format
Web Open Font Format 2
Category
font
MIME type
font/woff2
Standard / developer
W3C
Open with
fontTools TTFont

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.

  • Deliver linked fonts through CSS @font-face

How to open WOFF2

Inspect tables without installing the font. Loading untrusted files into any parser remains separate from deciding whether the font is safe or licensed for use.

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

W3C WOFF File Format 2.0

Things to check

  • Linked WOFF2 fonts are scoped to the documents that reference them and are not installed as general system fonts.

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

Fact review: 2026-09-19. Unknown fields are not inferred from the file extension.