Free Tool Desk

PDF Font Checker (Embedded, Subset, Missing)

List the fonts in a PDF: type, embedded or not, subset, encoding, and the pages that use them. Warns about fonts that are missing from the file. Export a report. In your browser.

Free to use No sign-up required Nothing is uploaded

When a PDF looks different on another computer, or a print shop rejects it because "fonts are not embedded", the answer is in the file's font list. This checker reads it: every font, its type, whether the font program is inside the file, whether only a subset of the characters is stored, how it is encoded, and which pages declare and use it.

It reads the structure with pdf-lib in your browser and uploads nothing. It reports what is declared; it does not render the document or judge exotic encodings.

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Overview

About PDF Font Checker

What is listed. For every font dictionary reachable from the pages (page resources, form XObjects and annotation appearances): the name without its subset prefix, the type (Type 1, TrueType, Type 3, composite Type 0 with its CID descendant), whether a font program is embedded (and of what kind: Type 1, TrueType or CFF/OpenType), whether the name carries the six-letter subset prefix such as ABCDEF+Arial, the encoding, and whether a ToUnicode map exists, which affects copying text.

Embedded, subset, standard 14. An embedded font has its glyph data inside the PDF, so the document looks the same everywhere. A subset contains only the glyphs used, which is normal and keeps files small. A font that is not embedded is replaced by whatever the viewer has, which can change spacing and characters. The 14 standard PDF fonts (Helvetica, Times, Courier, Symbol and ZapfDingbats variants) may be left out of ordinary PDFs because viewers are expected to supply them, but PDF/A and most print workflows require embedding all fonts. Type 3 fonts carry their glyphs as drawings inside the PDF.

Page usage. "Declared on pages" lists the pages whose resources include the font. "Selected on pages" lists the pages whose content (or a form drawn on that page) actually switches to the font with a font-selection operator; a font that is only declared may be unused. Both are shown per font, and a per-page table lists the fonts of each page.

Export. Download the report as CSV for a spreadsheet or as JSON.

Compatibility

Supported Formats

PDF files up to 80 MB and 500 pages. Fonts of type Type 1, TrueType, Type 3 and composite fonts are read, in page resources, form XObjects and annotation appearances. Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first.

Guide

How to Use PDF Font Checker

  1. Choose a PDF.
  2. Read the summary and any warning about fonts that are not embedded.
  3. Look through the table of fonts and the per-page table.
  4. Download the report if you need to share it.

Highlights

Features

  • Embedded, subset, standard 14 Tells the three apart and warns about fonts missing from the file.
  • Type and encoding Type 1, TrueType, Type 3 and composite fonts with their CID descendants and encodings.
  • Page usage Which pages declare and which actually select each font, plus a per-page table.
  • Export Download the report as CSV or JSON.
  • Private by design Structure is read in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

Applications

Use Cases

  • Checking a print-ready PDF for missing fonts before sending it to a printer
  • Finding out why a PDF looks different on another computer
  • Checking that fonts are embedded for PDF/A or archiving
  • Seeing which font subset or Type 3 font a file uses
  • Producing a font report for a client or a ticket

Good to Know

Limitations

The checker reads font dictionaries; it does not render pages or look inside font programs, so it does not know whether an embedded font actually contains every glyph the text needs or whether a licence allows embedding. "Selected" is detected from the page content with a simple scan of the font-selection operator and can miss fonts selected inside patterns or in unusual constructions. Exotic encodings are listed, not interpreted.

Fonts used only in parts of the document that are not reachable from a page (for example unused resources) are not reported. For a formal check, for example PDF/A or PDF/X conformance, use a preflight tool; this is an inspection aid.

This tool runs entirely in your browser — your file is never uploaded to our servers. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Support

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my PDF uploaded?

No. It is read in your browser with pdf-lib. Nothing is sent to our server.

What does a subset font mean?

Only the characters used in the document are stored from that font. It is normal and keeps files small. The six capital letters and a plus sign before the font name mark a subset.

Why does it say Helvetica is "not embedded"?

Helvetica is one of the 14 standard PDF fonts, which a PDF may leave out because viewers supply them. That is allowed in ordinary PDFs, but PDF/A and most print workflows want every font embedded.

What is the difference between declared and selected?

Declared means the font is in a page's resources. Selected means the page content switches to it. A font can be declared but never used.

Does an embedded font guarantee the text will look right?

It guarantees the viewer does not need the font installed. It does not prove that every needed glyph is in it, which this tool cannot check.

Can it tell me which font replaced a missing one?

No. The substitute is chosen by the viewer. The report only shows that the font is missing from the file.

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