Updated date:

Aug 24, 2017

5 Free Ways to Identify a Font in an Image

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Sometimes you need to recreate an image from a bitmap or raster design but don't know which font was used for the original. Maybe you're trying to recreate your logo as a vector, or maybe you've fallen in love with a font and want to use it in your own design work. This page introduces some free tools online to help you identify a font from an image.

WhatTheFont

WhatTheFont is a tool that allows you to upload a bitmap or raster image, and will identify the font for you.

What Font Is?

What Font Is is another font finder that allows you to upload a JPEG image to identify a font. In addition, once revealed, it shows you a list of similar font choices. What Font Is also has a browser extension you can use to identify the fonts on websites with a right click.

Let the Experts Help You

Forums are a great place to ask real people and experts to identify your mystery font. Typophile is an enormous online community of font experts and enthusiasts. Simply post a raster image of the font you're looking for as a new thread. Most other font-identification sites also have forums where you can do this, but the communities won't be as big or as useful as Typophile.

Font Finder

Find My Font searches your hard-drive for fonts you have installed and matches them to fonts in a flattened image or graphic. This is helpful if you know what computer the image was created on. It comes as either a free trial or a pro version.

Identifont Font Tree

Identifont is a question-and-answer program that will help you identify a font by asking questions about what your font looks like. For example, it will ask: does the uppercase J extend below the baseline? Does the dollar sign have two lines going down or one? It's a good program but does have its limits. If you only have a few words or characters to work from it may not be able to help you. It's certainly worth a try though, especially since it's free!

How did you detect your font from a gif or jpg image? - Did you use one of these options or something different?

VioletteRose LM on June 16, 2014:

This is really useful, thanks so much!

Doc_Holliday on August 25, 2013:

Useful information. I am going to give it a try. Thanks for sharing.

othellos on August 14, 2013:

Really beautiful lens with lots of interesting content. I'll be back to study more.

BlowDryBar on August 05, 2013:

I had no idea this could even be done!

ConvenientCalendar on May 12, 2013:

Great lens!

Cynthia Haltom from Diamondhead on April 19, 2013:

Thanks for sharing this info.

hmommers on March 25, 2013:

Oh oh, sorry I put my response in the wrong box. :-D

pantjing on February 20, 2013:

thanks... i need this information, cos i work in graphic design, and sumtimes my customer don't understand about what font they used.

dream1983 on December 01, 2012:

Great lens, nicely done!

Gayle Dowell from Kansas on November 22, 2012:

What a great tool. I could have used this when I did graphic design work.

Darcie French from Abbotsford, BC on November 16, 2012:

Thanks so much for the intro to Font Identifier

zentao on November 14, 2012:

Great idea and a very useful tool! thanks for sharing this

Monette from Dubai on November 14, 2012:

it seem a helpful lens

TipsForMoms on November 05, 2012:

This is wonderful, useful information. Thank you for all the research and putting this lens together!

anonymous on November 05, 2012:

Wow, this is really useful, thank you for sharing.

Margaret Schindel from Massachusetts on November 01, 2012:

I tried several of these tools just now. Incredibly useful to know about - thanks! Blessed by a Squid Angel. :)

C A Chancellor from US/TN on October 25, 2012:

Wow -- I had no idea these tools existed! I'll keep them in mind if I have a mystery font to identify.

aussiejon on October 24, 2012:

Awesome, Ill be sure to try both What the font and What Font Is?, there is nothing more frustrating than trying to "guess" your way to matching a font

anonymous on September 27, 2012:

Was looking for the font of some deformed text (on a circle). Find my Font saved my day! It searched online and suggested fonts I don't have (even free ones).

SquidooPower on September 25, 2012:

This is such a smart idea. I'm going to pass it along to my graphic design friends.

MatijaB LM on September 16, 2012:

I have done good research.

anonymous on September 15, 2012:

Very nice fonts resource. :)

Expat Mamasita from Thailand on September 14, 2012:

Wow! So many fonts :-)

anonymous on April 24, 2012:

good

anonymous on November 29, 2011:

Find my Font rocks!!! It does an amazing job identifying fonts you have on your computer. Every graphics designer should try it.