Issue description
Fonts are missing, replaced, or appear differently in Archicad when the same project is opened on different computers, especially between macOS and Windows.
Cause of the issue
Archicad relies entirely on the fonts provided by the operating system and does not include or embed fonts in project files. Font compatibility, therefore, depends on the quality and consistency of the fonts installed on each computer.
Fonts are identified by internal metadata, such as family name, style name, and PostScript name, not by the visible font or file name. macOS and Windows may interpret this metadata differently, especially with custom, modified, or older fonts.
Because of this, a font that appears to work correctly on one computer or in other software may still be treated as missing or substituted in Archicad on another system, even when the font appears to be installed on both.
Font compatibility limitations
Not all fonts are suitable for cross-platform CAD and BIM workflows, particularly custom, modified, or less rigorously built fonts.
Some fonts contain incomplete or non-standard internal metadata that one operating system may accept, while another may fail to recognize them correctly or treat them as a different font altogether.
If a font cannot be consistently recognized across macOS and Windows, reinstalling the font or clearing the cache will not resolve the issue. The only reliable solution is to replace it with a better-built, cross-platform-compatible font.
Solution
- Use common, well-known fonts that are available on all workstations.
- Verify that the exact same font family and styles are installed on every computer.
- Avoid mixing fonts from different sources that share the same name.
- When working across macOS and Windows, be especially cautious with custom or system-specific fonts.
- If font issues persist, temporarily switch the text to a known cross-platform system font (such as those listed in the Common cross-platform fonts section) to confirm whether the issue is font-related.
How to verify that Archicad cannot locate a font
If Archicad cannot locate a font on a computer, the font name will appear in [brackets] in the Info Bar, indicating that a replacement font is being used. See the example below.
Workstation A
Workstation B
Common cross-platform fonts (web-safe fonts)
These fonts are commonly available on both macOS and Windows and are less likely to cause issues.
Serif fonts
- Georgia
- Palatino Linotype
- Times New Roman
Sans-serif fonts
- Arial
- Arial Black
- Comic Sans MS
- Impact
- Lucida Sans Unicode
- Tahoma
- Trebuchet MS
- Verdana
Monospace fonts
- Courier New
- Lucida Console