Switch Between Font View and Glyph View in FontForge

Navigating between the Font View and the Glyph View in FontForge is an essential part of the type design workflow. The Font View acts as the main dashboard displaying the full character grid of your font, while the Glyph View provides the drawing canvas for editing individual letterforms. You can move between these two workspaces seamlessly using mouse shortcuts, keyboard commands, or window management tools built into the application.

Opening Glyph View from Font View

To open a specific character in the Glyph View from the main Font View window:

  • Double-Click: Double-click on any glyph cell in the Font View table. This immediately opens the outline editing window for that character.
  • Enter Key: Click once on a glyph slot to highlight it, then press the Enter key on your keyboard.
  • Right-Click Context Menu: Right-click on a glyph box and select Edit Outline from the contextual menu.

FontForge opens the Glyph View in a separate window by default. If you already have a Glyph View window open, activating another glyph through these methods will typically load the newly selected character into that existing window rather than cluttering your workspace with duplicates.

Returning to Font View from Glyph View

Because FontForge uses multi-window architecture, returning to the Font View does not require you to close your current work, though you can if preferred:

  • Window Switching: Use your operating system’s standard application switcher (Alt + Tab on Windows/Linux or Cmd + Tab / Cmd + ~ on macOS) to bring the main Font View window back to the front.
  • Close the Window: Press Ctrl + W (or Cmd + W on macOS) or click the close icon on the Glyph View window. This closes the active glyph editor and leaves the Font View visible.
  • Menu Navigation: In the Glyph View menu bar, go to View and check for window navigation options to toggle focus back to the parent font metrics.

Moving Between Glyphs Directly

If your goal is to edit another character, you do not need to switch back to the Font View first. Inside the Glyph View:

  • Use the Page Up and Page Down keys to navigate to the previous or next defined character in your font mapping.
  • Go to View > Next Defined Glyph or View > Prev Defined Glyph in the top menu to move linearly through your character set without returning to the main grid.