How to woff2 vs ttf: which format to use when
- Step 1Audit your delivery context — Web pages: WOFF2 always. Desktop installs (Font Book, Windows Fonts): TTF or OTF. Email templates: WOFF2 with TTF fallback. PDF generation: TTF (most PDF libraries don't accept WOFF2). Mobile app bundles: TTF (most native font APIs reject WOFF2).
- Step 2Convert per context — Source font as TTF in design system → ship WOFF2 to web, keep TTF for desktop and PDF pipelines. JAD's WOFF2-to-TTF and TTF-to-WOFF2 tools cover both directions in the browser.
- Step 3Document the policy — Pin the format-per-medium decision in your design system docs. A clear policy prevents "why is the production hero font 800 KB?" investigations later.
Frequently asked questions
Why don't desktops accept WOFF2?+
Most desktop font managers (Font Book, Windows Fonts, FontForge) predate WOFF2 and never added decompression. The format is too web-specific to motivate desktop adoption. For desktop installation, always use TTF or OTF.
Will WOFF2 ever replace TTF on desktop?+
Unlikely. Desktops have no bandwidth concerns and decompressing WOFF2 every time the OS loads a font would burn CPU for no benefit. TTF remains the desktop standard.
What about WOFF (1.0) for desktop?+
Same answer as WOFF2 — desktop apps don't decompress it. WOFF and WOFF2 are web formats; TTF and OTF are everything-else formats.
Is the rendering identical between TTF and WOFF2?+
Yes. The decompressed WOFF2 contains the byte-equivalent OpenType tables. Hinting, kerning, layout features, and outlines are unchanged. Only the wire format differs.
Privacy first
Every JAD Font tool runs entirely in your browser using opentype.js and the wawoff2 WASM Brotli encoder. Your fonts never leave your device — verified by zero outbound network requests during processing.