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Subject in evaluation · Troubleshooting

Why are characters missing from a font?

Common reasons for missing letters, accents, numbers and symbols—and how to check before use.

Short answer

Characters may be intentionally omitted from a demo, outside the language set, incorrectly mapped, unsupported by the application or missing because a different font version is installed.

01

File limitations

Display and demo fonts often contain fewer characters than text families. A contributor can intentionally limit a demo, while an open-source family may split coverage across several files or releases.

02

Mapping and application problems

A visible glyph can exist without the Unicode mapping expected by normal typing. Applications may also disable OpenType features, use a fallback font or retain an older cached version.

  • Inspect the glyph map
  • Confirm the exact installed version
  • Restart the application
  • Test the Unicode character
  • Report incorrect catalogue data
03

Check before the project

Use real text and the searchable Font Trust glyph map before downloading. This avoids discovering halfway through a design that a required accent, currency sign or punctuation mark is absent.

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