Glyph Interchange Format
File type: Font and typeface file
A .glif file is an XML file that stores one glyph in the Glyph Interchange Format.
The format is used by RoboFab and by UFO-based font projects to store glyph outlines and related data.
File type category:
Font and typeface file
Date updated: October 23, 2026
The Glyph Interchange Format is a simple XML representation of a single glyph. A .glif file can contain the glyph's outline, advance width, Unicode values, anchors, components, guidelines, and other glyph-specific information.
RoboFab is a Python-based font-development toolkit that can read and write glyph data in this format. In a UFO font project, GLIF files are normally stored in the font's glyphs directory, with other UFO files identifying the available glyph files and describing the rest of the font.
RoboFab supports multiple platforms. GLIF is still used in UFO-based font workflows, although RoboFab itself is a legacy tool and newer font software may provide its own UFO and GLIF support.
Use RoboFab or another UFO-compatible font editor or font-development tool to interpret and edit the glyph. RoboFab is available for multiple platforms, but it is generally used through Python rather than as a standalone graphical application.
Because a GLIF file is XML, it can also be viewed in a text editor. Manual editing requires knowledge of the GLIF structure and may make the glyph invalid if its elements are changed incorrectly.
A GLIF file represents a single glyph rather than a complete font, so it normally is not converted on its own. RoboFab can read, modify, and write the glyph data, and may be used to export or convert GLIF files.
To create an OpenType or TrueType font, place the glyph in a UFO project and use a compatible font editor or font-production tool to export the complete font.
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