Note the real name of any font listed as a "CIDFont" that does not say "Embedded" or "Embedded Subset." Solutions: How to Fix Missing CID Font Errors
Since "CIDFont+F1" isn't a real font, you need to find the genuine font it replaced or choose a suitable alternative. Fortunately, there are high-quality, free CID fonts available for download, including new and updated projects.
| CID Key | Font Name (Modern) | Free Source File | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Times-Roman | n022003l.pfb (Ghostscript) | | F2 | Helvetica | n019003l.pfb (Ghostscript) | | F3 | Courier | n021003l.pfb (Ghostscript) | | F4 | Symbol | s050000l.pfb (Ghostscript) | | F5 | Times-Bold | n022004l.pfb (Ghostscript) | | F6 | Helvetica-Bold | n019004l.pfb (Ghostscript) | | F7 | Courier-Bold | n021004l.pfb (Ghostscript) |
: Because these are internal labels, there is no "F1 font file" available on the internet to download and fix the problem. What CID Fonts Actually Are
: Ensure you have an application to extract compressed files, such as WinRAR or 7-Zip. Then, completely close any open Adobe Acrobat or PDF reader to avoid errors during the installation process.
CID-keyed fonts are a specialized font architecture developed by Adobe. Unlike standard fonts that use character names, CID fonts use a numeric to index and access each glyph. This architecture is particularly well-suited for the large, complex character sets found in East Asian languages like Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK), but it can also be used for fonts with very large character sets in other languages.
Head to Google Noto CJK or Adobe Source Han today, download the entire suite, rename the relevant OTF/TTC files to F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7.otf, and install them. Your future self—and your PDF workflow—will thank you.
: The labels F1, F2, F3, etc., are just arbitrary shorthand names (aliases) assigned during the PDF export process. For one PDF, "F1" might actually be Arial Bold , while in another, it could be Calibri .
If you have Acrobat Pro, you can try to force the document to recognize the fonts: Tools > Print Production > Preflight Select the "PDF Fixups" "Embed missing fonts" Analyze and Fix 3. Manual Substitution If you are trying to edit the text in a program like Adobe Illustrator tool (Type > Find Font).
Click on in the top menu bar, then select Properties (or press Ctrl + D on Windows / Cmd + D on Mac). Navigate to the Fonts tab.
This guide breaks down what these font codes mean, why they cause display errors, and how to successfully fix your document. What is a CID Font?
You can uncover the actual font hidden behind the F1–F7 labels to download the correct file. Open the problematic file in your PDF viewer. Click on in the top menu bar. Select Properties (or press Ctrl + D / Cmd + D). Navigate to the Fonts tab.
Google’s Noto font project is specifically designed to cover all languages in Unicode. Many modern systems use Noto to replace old F1-F7 mapping systems. Modern, completely free, excellent Unicode coverage. Source: Google Noto Fonts 3. Free CJK Fonts (Chinese, Japanese, Korean)
After installing, test with:
Longer copy (for a landing page)