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Internal unicode fallback font?

  • 2 replies
  • 3 have this problem
  • 5 views
  • Last reply by FFHFMA951

FFHFMA951
FFHFMA951
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I really tried to figure this one out by myself, but…

Firefox displays exceptional unicode characters in a specific, seemingly internal font. Here’s an example, both glyphs are taken from unicode block “Miscellaneous Symbols”:

☠ (SKULL AND CROSSBONES, 9760) ☃ (SNOWMAN, 9731)

Go ahead and open this page in another browser, perhaps a pre-installed Internet Explorer. This is a rendering taken from my machines: http://i48.tinypic.com/e0ipes_th.png

I tried out all my fonts (some of them really, really unicode-supporting) with these glyphs and others, and none of them were an exact match. It doesn't matter what font-family is set in CSS. Firefox overrides the missing glyphs. You can’t inspect the calculated font-family when omitting it.

I didn't find anything when searching, since this is not a problem like “Firefox not rendering unicode font correctly”, but the opposite.

What’s the solution? What’s the name of this mystical font and where do I find it?

I really tried to figure this one out by myself, but… Firefox displays exceptional unicode characters in a specific, seemingly internal font. Here’s an example, both glyphs are taken from unicode block “Miscellaneous Symbols”: ☠ (SKULL AND CROSSBONES, 9760) ☃ (SNOWMAN, 9731) Go ahead and open this page in another browser, perhaps a pre-installed Internet Explorer. This is a rendering taken from my machines: http://i48.tinypic.com/e0ipes_th.png I tried out all my fonts (some of them really, really unicode-supporting) with these glyphs and others, and none of them were an exact match. It doesn't matter what font-family is set in CSS. Firefox overrides the missing glyphs. You can’t inspect the calculated font-family when omitting it. I didn't find anything when searching, since this is not a problem like “Firefox not rendering unicode font correctly”, but the opposite. What’s the solution? What’s the name of this mystical font and where do I find it?

All Replies (2)

cor-el
cor-el
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
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You can use this extension to see which fonts are used for text that is selected (right-click context menu: Show fonts in selection).

FFHFMA951
FFHFMA951 Question owner
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I never thought of a simple addon, extending the page information. With a process of elimination, I figured out it was Segoe UI Symbol. Thank you very much!