Jump to a Unicode Codepoint in FontForge

Navigating directly to a specific Unicode codepoint in FontForge eliminates the need to scroll through thousands of glyph slots in large fonts. This guide outlines how to use FontForge’s built-in "Goto" tool to jump immediately to any character using its hexadecimal codepoint, glyph name, or decimal value.

Using the Goto Dialog

The fastest way to reach a specific codepoint is through the Goto dialog in the Font View window.

  1. Open your font file in FontForge.
  2. Open the Goto dialog using either of these methods:
    • Go to the top menu and select View > Goto.
    • Press the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + > (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Shift + > (macOS).
  3. In the input box, enter your target codepoint or character identifier. FontForge accepts several formats:
    • Hexadecimal Unicode value: Prefix the hex value with u+ or 0x (e.g., u+0041 or 0x0041 for the letter "A").
    • Direct character: Paste or type the literal character directly into the field.
    • Standard glyph name: Type the PostScript glyph name (e.g., ampersand or uni0041).
    • Decimal value: Type the decimal representation of the codepoint.
  4. Click OK or press Enter.

The font grid will automatically scroll to the target glyph and highlight it. Double-clicking the highlighted cell will open it in the Glyph Outline editing window.

Ensuring Proper Encoding Display

If the target codepoint does not appear or directs you to an unexpected slot, your font may not be displayed in a Unicode encoding format.

To set the view to standard Unicode:

  1. Click Encoding in the top menu bar.
  2. Select Reencode.
  3. Choose ISO 10646-1 (Unicode, BMP) for basic multilingual plane characters, or ISO 10646-1 (Unicode, Full) to view all planes, including supplemental symbols and emojis.

If you navigate to a Unicode codepoint that does not yet contain a drawn glyph, FontForge will still jump to that empty slot in the grid, designated by a faint outline or an X. You can immediately double-click the empty cell to begin drawing the new glyph mapped to that specific codepoint.