# Why can’t I see special characters in the font I uploaded?

If you’ve [added your own font](https://cuttle.xyz/learn/adding-your-own-fonts) to Cuttle which includes special characters (like swashes, flourishes, or other decorative glyphs), this guide explains how to add them to your project.

## What are PUA encoded fonts?

Some fonts come with additional characters—like alternate letters, fancy swashes, ornaments, or ligatures. They are stored in a special part of the font called the **Private Use Area (PUA)**, and are called PUA encoded fonts. Refer to the publisher’s website to confirm if the font you added is PUA encoded.

As these characters are not accessible on a keyboard you can’t type them directly into Cuttle. You can still add them to your project using a tool like **Font Book (Mac)** or **Character Map (Windows)**.

## 🍎 Mac Users: Font Book

1.  Double click on your font file (**.ttc**, .**ttf**, **.otf**, or **.woff**) to install it on Font Book.
    
    ![](https://content.cuttle.xyz/learn/uploaded-font-special-characters/fa0e92b514151ac04db3282f30297c64114e49775b97714222ae883ccf50d6d3.gif)
    
2.  Filter by “My Fonts” on the left sidebar to quickly find your downloaded fonts.
    
    ![](https://content.cuttle.xyz/learn/uploaded-font-special-characters/aae44209349f38046475de0de23d6571a6d12bddfd5eca28b952dfade276f8d5.gif)
    
3.  **Find and copy a character**
    
    Make sure **Repertoire** is expanded by clicking on the arrow next to it. Scroll to find the character you’re looking for. Click on the character and click **Copy**.
    
    ![](https://content.cuttle.xyz/learn/uploaded-font-special-characters/2d2666b114777d7e05a3ab9de151a664cd115ed181d0775c545a659cb35873c3.gif)
    
4.  **Paste into Cuttle**
    
    Press `Cmd + V` in the text field to paste the character into your Cuttle project.
    
    ![](https://content.cuttle.xyz/learn/uploaded-font-special-characters/89a711f11577b6a5ef24d7c5a07b937474513912f31d9d5c2d4b94f61269bdb2.gif)
    

### 🪟 On Windows: Use Character Map

1.  **Open Character Map**
    
    Open Character Map from the Start Menu.
    
    ![](https://cuttle-content.imgix.net/learn/uploaded-font-special-characters/212c7ac8b0465834812b027fd8bee1b9c8408ad8014c8fd3f9e474b58e39bf6e.png?auto=compress,format&q=60&fit=max&w=720&h=720&dpr=2)
    
2.  **Select your font**
    
    Choose the font you uploaded to Cuttle from the dropdown.
    
    ![](https://cuttle-content.imgix.net/learn/uploaded-font-special-characters/f2ef8ca22a819760ff57946a751d73b8715cec671e89054d15169a19f2a27da3.png?auto=compress,format&q=60&fit=max&w=720&h=720&dpr=2)
    
3.  **Find decorative characters**
    
    Scroll through to find the character you want.
    
    ![](https://cuttle-content.imgix.net/learn/uploaded-font-special-characters/af63b98047d5b4fe1b9456c7c8b53949c64d2c214b448b4d249cec01f3ddd795.png?auto=compress,format&q=60&fit=max&w=720&h=720&dpr=2)
    
4.  **Copy the character**
    
    Click the character, then click “Select” and “Copy.”
    
5.  **Paste into Cuttle**
    
    In Cuttle, use `Ctrl + V` to paste into a text field.
    
    ![](https://content.cuttle.xyz/learn/uploaded-font-special-characters/89a711f11577b6a5ef24d7c5a07b937474513912f31d9d5c2d4b94f61269bdb2.gif)
    

## ✅ Tips & Troubleshooting

-   **Not all fonts are PUA-encoded**: If no special glyphs appear, the font might not include extra characters.
-   **Use the same font in Cuttle**: After pasting, make sure your text is set to the same font you uploaded.