How to preview a .CHR file online
See your .CHR file in action before you install it, license it or send it to a client.
Pick your .CHR file
Drag it in or click to choose it, or try one of the samples below. Nothing is installed or uploaded from your device.
Type and test
Write your own text, change the size, switch OpenType features like ligatures and small caps, and move variable-font sliders.
Inspect and use
Browse every glyph with its outline, check language coverage, read the licence and copy ready-made @font-face CSS.
About .CHR files
What a .CHR file is, and what's inside it.
A .chr file is most likely a Borland BGI stroke font from the Turbo C / Turbo Pascal era, or an Autodesk 3ds Max 3D character file. The two are unrelated formats that share one extension. Borland .chr files have no modern viewer; use a hex editor to identify one and DOSBox to render it. A 3ds Max .chr opens in 3ds Max only.
Programs that open .CHR files
| Full name | Borland BGI Stroke Font File |
|---|---|
| Developer | Borland International |
| First released | Late 1980s, with Borland's Turbo C / Turbo Pascal and the BGI graphics library |
| Category | Fonts |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream |
| Signature | 50 4B 08 08 "PK\x08\x08" then a Borland copyright header near the start |
Related viewers
Other free viewers that work the same way.
Does opening a .CHR file install it on my computer?
No. The font is loaded only inside this browser tab and disappears when you close it. Nothing is installed or uploaded.
How do I know which languages a font supports?
Open the Languages tab. We check the font's character map against the letters each language needs, for example ą ć ę ł ń ó ś ź ż for Polish, and show what's missing.
What are OpenType features?
Optional typographic extras built into a font: ligatures, small caps, old-style or tabular figures, fractions, stylistic sets. Switch them on and off in the Type tester to see what your font offers.
Can I use this font on my website?
Technically yes. Copy the @font-face CSS from the side panel. Legally, check the licence shown in the font info: many fonts are free (SIL Open Font License), others need a web licence.
Why does my Type 1 font look like an image?
Browsers can't use Type 1 fonts, so we render a specimen with Ghostscript instead. You can still type your own sample text and zoom in.
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