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File Format & Compatibility

How to Fix Win Innwa Font Display Problems in Excel AutoFilter

John WilsonJohn Wilson Sep 30, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user is experiencing incorrect display of Burmese text in Excel when using the AutoFilter feature with the legacy Win Innwa font.

How to Fix Win Innwa Font Display Problems in Excel
Product
Microsoft Excel
Device & OS
not provided
Scenario
Filtering data formatted with the non-Unicode Win Innwa font.
Observed behavior
Burmese text displays incorrectly in the AutoFilter dropdown, causing data compatibility and filtering problems.
Before you start

Ensure you have a reliable Unicode-compatible Burmese font, such as Pyidaungsu, installed on your computer before attempting to reformat your data.

Solution 1Recommended

Convert Text to Unicode and Change the Font

The most effective way to resolve display and filtering issues with legacy fonts is to convert the underlying text data to standard Unicode.

Because Win Innwa relies on outdated character mapping, Excel's data management tools cannot interpret it correctly. Converting your text to standard Unicode ensures full compatibility across all features.

1
Convert the legacy text

Use a reliable third-party font converter tool designed for Burmese text to convert your Win Innwa data into standard Unicode formatting.

2
Paste into Excel

Copy the newly converted Unicode text and paste it back into your Excel spreadsheet, replacing the old Win Innwa data.

3
Apply a compatible font

Select the newly pasted cells, navigate to the 'Home' tab, and choose a fully compatible Unicode font like 'Pyidaungsu' from the Font dropdown menu.

4
Test the AutoFilter

Click on the AutoFilter dropdown arrow in your column header to verify that the Burmese text now displays and filters correctly.

Convert Text to Unicode and Change the Font
Why Conversion is Necessary: Simply changing the font face in Excel will not fix the issue. The underlying character codes must be converted to Unicode for AutoFilter to read them properly.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the Win Innwa font look corrupted in Excel AutoFilter?

Win Innwa is a legacy font that does not adhere to standard Unicode character mappings. Excel's AutoFilter feature reads the underlying character codes rather than the visual font, causing it to display incorrect or garbled characters.

Which fonts are recommended instead of Win Innwa?

It is highly recommended to use standard Unicode fonts for Burmese text. Popular, fully compatible alternatives include Pyidaungsu, Myanmar Text, and Padauk.

Will simply changing the font in Excel fix the display issue?

No, just selecting a new font from the dropdown menu will not fix the issue because the original text was typed using non-standard encodings. You must first convert the text data itself to standard Unicode using a converter tool before applying a new font.