Don't Want the Whole Font File for a Few Characters? Try Font Subsetting

The Problem

I once stumbled across a beautiful font and really wanted to use it on a website. But when I downloaded it, the .ttf file was several megabytes.

The issue? I only needed it to display a few words like Home, Login, Sign Up, and Buy Now. Why should I download thousands of glyphs just to render a handful of characters?

The Solution: Font Subsetting

Instead of loading the entire font file, we can extract only the characters we actually use. This is called font subsetting, and it can shrink font files down by 90% or more.

Tool Recommendation: OnliTools Font Subsetter & Compressor

OnliTools Font Subsetter & Compressor is a free, online tool that does this in seconds.

How to Use It

1. Open the tool - Go to https://onlitools.com/font-compress
2. Upload your font - Drag and drop .ttf, .otf, .woff, or .woff2 files
3. Enter the characters you need - Paste all the text your site will actually display with this font (e.g., Home Login Sign Up Buy Now)
4. Compress and download - Generate and download the subset font to use with @font-face

Tips for Best Results

• Be thorough - Collect every string that uses this font across your site to avoid missing characters (they'll show as □)
• Use WOFF2 - If available, download in woff2 format for the smallest size and great browser support
• Use font-display: swap - Prevents invisible text while the font loads

Final Thoughts

You don't need the whole font to use a beautiful typeface. With font subsetting, you get the look you want without the performance cost.

Try it out at OnliTools Font Subsetter & Compressor - it's free and takes less than a minute.