How to Use WhatFont to Identify a Font on a Webpage

Updated

Click the WhatFont button in your browser toolbar, then point at any text on the page. WhatFont shows that text's font name, size, weight, and color. Click to pin the details so they stay on screen, and press Esc when you're done. This works on every website, according to the site, and the extension is free for Chrome and Safari.

Before You Start

You need WhatFont installed in a supported browser:

Browser How to get WhatFont
Chrome Install the free extension; the site says it also works in Edge, Arc, Brave, and other Chromium browsers
Safari on Mac Install the Safari extension from the Mac App Store
iPhone and iPad Select text in Safari, then tap WhatFont to see its font
Any other browser Drag the WhatFont button to your bookmarks bar, then click it on any page

Two caveats from the site: some sites block bookmarklets, so the bookmark-bar method may not work everywhere, and the iPhone/iPad flow is different from the desktop hover flow (you select text first, then tap WhatFont).

Step-by-Step: Identify a Font

  1. Open the page with the text you want to inspect. Any website works, per the site.
  2. Click the WhatFont button in your toolbar. This turns on inspection mode.
  3. Point at the text. Hover over the words whose font you want to know. WhatFont reports the font's name, size, weight, and color.
  4. Click to pin the details. If you want to keep the information visible (for example, to compare two elements or copy the values), click the text and the details stay put.
  5. Press Esc when finished. This exits inspection mode.

Verify It Worked

You should see a small panel with four values: font name, size, weight, and color. If nothing appears when you point at text, check that you actually clicked the toolbar button first (inspection mode is off by default), and that the page has finished loading.

Common Snags

  • Nothing shows on hover. You're probably not in inspection mode. Click the WhatFont toolbar button again.
  • The bookmarklet does nothing. The site notes some sites block bookmarklets. Use the Chrome or Safari extension instead where possible.
  • You're on a phone or tablet. The desktop hover flow doesn't apply. In Safari on iPhone or iPad, select the text first, then tap WhatFont.
  • Details disappear when you move the mouse. Click the text to pin the panel before moving away.

What You Get and What You Don't

WhatFont tells you the font name, size, weight, and color of text you point at. That's enough to identify a typeface you like and note its styling. It is not a font downloader or a full developer inspector; the site describes it purely as a way to see what font text is set in. The site also says it's used by 3 million people and is free, and that it works on every website.