Skip to main content
Lavish_coder1549
Lavish_coder1549
Participating Frequently
May 10, 2025
Answered

Fonts changing in files when opened in Illustrator 29.5.1

  • May 10, 2025
  • 68 replies
  • 47087 views

I've experienced this twice now, both times in the last month. I design beer labels and I'll often open an older label and use it as the template for a new one. When I open the older file (an .AI file), it will load, and most of the live text will have switched to a different font arbitrarily. Some fonts switch to OTHER typefaces that exist in the same document, others switch to different weights of the same font, and still others switch to defaults like times and myriad.  Some of the switched fonts are stored locally, and others are served via Adobe Fonts. The file does this consistently even after I've restarted illustrator and restarted my computer. 

 

I've attached a screenshot of one of the files with its original fonts (from an outlined version for print), as well as a shot with the changed fonts.

 

Has anyone else experienced this?

 

System:

2022 Mac Studio M1 Max

MacOS Sonoma 14.6.1

Illustrator v 29.5.1

    Correct answer Anubhav M

    Hello everyone,

    Our team has attempted to resolve this issue in the latest Illustrator 30.x and 29.x releases. Kindly update to the latest version of Illustrator and try opening your files to see if the problem persists.

    Anubhav

    68 replies

    Show previous replies
    J
    JodyRadzik37240164
    Inspiring
    August 6, 2025

    I'm hoping to get some advice. I work with very large and complex packaging files with many different fonts. When the bug-infested Illustrator completely ruins them with it's font substitution bug, my life turns into a nightmare. I can't stop working, but I'm terrified this will happen again and I'll lose yet another day trying to fix it. So, I'm hoping to get some official advice from Adobe as to which version of Illustrator (if any) does not have this issue. Please advise.

    J
    JodyRadzik37240164
    Inspiring
    August 6, 2025

    I just read in another reply that 29.4 is the last stable version, so I'm downgrading to that and crossing my fingers.

      Anubhav M
      Community Manager
      Anubhav MCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      August 6, 2025

      Hello @1671312 Radzik,

      Our team is aware of the problem and is currently investigating it. I will update this thread as I have more info.

      Feel free to reach out if you have more questions or need assistance. We'd be happy to help.
      Anubhav

      G
      Graffikker-67
      Participant
      August 6, 2025

      This is still happening for me in version 29.7.1

      fluke-d
      fluke-d
      Participating Frequently
      August 6, 2025

      Same for me.

      A
      active_appreciator89724
      Participant
      August 1, 2025

      Yes, I'm having the same issue. All fonts in my file revert to Wingdings 2 without any warning. And if I try closing the file without saving, the fonts are saved with Wingdings 2 font, so it has saved the file with the unwanted font!

      W
      walterd8318663
      Participant
      August 1, 2025

      Have same problem here. Worked on a file, opened the same file the next day and some texts have a completely different font 😞 Need to rework the complete document, thx you

       

        R
        Randy_111
        Participating Frequently
        August 6, 2025

        I've went back to 29.4 a week and half ago and don't seem to have the problem. I think this might be the last stable version.

          thebronxdaddy
          thebronxdaddy
          Participating Frequently
          July 31, 2025

          One thing I noticed is even if the font is randomly changed (in this case from Helvetica condensed to extended), the bounding box is showing the original size. (see attached photo)

           

            Abhishek Rao
            Community Manager
            Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
            Community Manager
            July 31, 2025

            Hi @thebronxdaddy,

             

            Thanks for confirming that this is happening in the 29.7 beta. The 29.7 GA (general availability) release is now live and available to install via the Creative Cloud Desktop app.

            Could you please update to that version and check if the issue still persists there? Also, just to be sure, kindly check if the affected font is installed both on your system and synced via Adobe Fonts. If it's present in both places, it can sometimes lead to conflicts, so it's best to keep it in just one.

            If the problem continues even after testing on 29.7 GA, please share an affected sample file and the specific font you're using, so we can investigate this further on our end.

             

            Looking forward to hearing how it goes!

            Abhishek 

            fluke-d
            fluke-d
            Participating Frequently
            July 31, 2025

            It is still happening with 29.7 GA - see my post from the 29th. Fonts are Gotham / Gotham Condensed, and in another file Gilroy was affected. Neither are Adobe fonts.

             

             

            thebronxdaddy
            thebronxdaddy
            Participating Frequently
            July 31, 2025

            It's still happening in Beta!

              thebronxdaddy
              thebronxdaddy
              Participating Frequently
              July 31, 2025

              Are you kidding me Adobe??? It just happened to me on 29.6. This bug can bring down a whole company! Fix this right now.

                J
                JodyRadzik37240164
                Inspiring
                July 30, 2025

                For some as of yet unknown reason, the latest version of Illustrator is making arbitrary font decisions after saving files, costing me a lot of time and my company a lot of money.

                 

                Before:

                 

                After:

                 

                It is replacing fonts with other fonts from the document. It's essentially playing font roulette with my files, making my life hell. That's nothing new for Illustrator, but this is a new nadir in how awful it is now.

                Anubhav M
                Community Manager
                Anubhav MCommunity Manager
                Community Manager
                July 30, 2025

                Hello @1671312 Radzik,

                I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Our product team has tried fixing this issue in the latest Illustrator Beta release. Would you mind installing/updating to the latest Illustrator (beta) (https://adobe.ly/41lUltw) to check if it helps resolve the problem?

                Looking forward to your feedback.
                Anubhav

                J
                JodyRadzik37240164
                Inspiring
                July 30, 2025

                No thanks. You are not paying me to be your quality control. I have lost 5 hours of work today because of this bug. I have no more time to waste on it. I'm back to Illustrator 2024 and I'm not updating unless held at gun point. I have been using this product since 1990, and it's never been as much as a disaster it has become today.

                  fluke-d
                  fluke-d
                  Participating Frequently
                  July 30, 2025

                  The bug is still present in 29.7 using M1 Max OS 15.5 with Connect Fonts managing fonts.

                  fluke-d
                  fluke-d
                  Participating Frequently
                  July 30, 2025

                  Example font change and incorrect tracking (should be wide letter spacing but letters overlap with the incorrect font).

                   

                  Anubhav M
                  Community Manager
                  Anubhav MCommunity Manager
                  Community Manager
                  August 1, 2025

                  Hello @fluke-d,

                  I'm sorry to hear the problem is persisting even after the update. Could you kindly share a link to a sample AI file you're having trouble with, so they can check it on their end?

                  Note: While sharing the file, kindly make the link public and enable the option to Save a Copy/Download (if any).

                  Looking forward to hearing from you.

                  Anubhav

                  D
                  dunazee
                  Known Participant
                  July 29, 2025

                  Plus one. I cannot use a beta version of any software on the work machine. Went back to 29.4. We have too much going on to mess with this. 

                    Show more replies
                    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
                    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices