grub-mkfont

grub-mkfont [OPTION...] [FONT_FILE]

-o, --output=FILE
    Set output filename for the generated PF2 font

-s, --size=PIXELS
    Set font size in pixels (default: 12)

--prefix=DIR
    Set GRUB prefix directory (default: /boot/grub)

--no-double-scan
    Disable second glyph scan for better performance

--range=RANGE
    Specify Unicode glyph ranges, e.g., 0x20-0x7E,0x390-0x3A1

-v, --verbose
    Enable verbose output

--target=PLATFORM
    Set target platform, e.g., i386-pc, x86_64-efi

--help
    Display usage summary and exit

--version
    Print version information and exit

grub-mkfont is a utility from the GRUB2 bootloader suite used to convert scalable font files (such as TTF, OTF, or Type1) into GRUB's proprietary PF2 raster font format. This enables custom fonts in GRUB's graphical console, boot menus, and themes.

GRUB2 relies on PF2 fonts for rendering text in its terminal emulator, supporting Unicode glyphs for international characters. The tool leverages libraries like FreeType or Pango to rasterize glyphs at specified pixel sizes, generating bitmaps optimized for GRUB modules.

Common workflow: Install fonts system-wide, then run grub-mkfont to create PF2 files in /boot/grub/fonts/, and embed them via grub-mkimage into the core image or theme. Supports glyph range selection to reduce file size by including only needed characters, ideal for embedded systems.

Without custom fonts, GRUB defaults to built-in ASCII fonts, limiting display quality and language support.

Requires font rendering libraries like FreeType/Pango; output is platform-specific if --target used. Large glyph ranges increase file size significantly.

grub-mkfont -o /boot/grub/fonts/unicode.pf2 -s 32 /usr/share/fonts/TTF/DejaVuSans.ttf --range=0x20-0x7FF

PF2 files can be inspected with hexdump or loaded via GRUB's loadfont command in the shell.

Introduced in GRUB 1.98 (2009) as part of GRUB2 development for graphical improvements; matured in GRUB 2.02 (2012) with Unicode and theme support.

grub-mkimage(1), grub-install(8), grub-mkconfig(8)