How to Fix Win Innwa Font Display Problems in Excel AutoFilter
Question details
The user is experiencing incorrect display of Burmese text in Excel when using the AutoFilter feature with the legacy Win Innwa font.

- 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.
Ensure you have a reliable Unicode-compatible Burmese font, such as Pyidaungsu, installed on your computer before attempting to reformat your data.
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Because Win Innwa relies on outdated character mapping, Excel's data management tools cannot interpret it correctly.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.
Use a reliable third-party font converter tool designed for Burmese text to convert your Win Innwa data into standard Unicode formatting.
Copy the newly converted Unicode text and paste it back into your Excel spreadsheet, replacing the old Win Innwa data.
Select the newly pasted cells, navigate to the 'Home' tab, and choose a fully compatible Unicode font like 'Pyidaungsu' from the Font dropdown menu.
Click on the AutoFilter dropdown arrow in your column header to verify that the Burmese text now displays and filters correctly.

Submit Feedback to Microsoft
If you are unable to convert your fonts and the issue heavily impacts your workflow, you can report the bug directly to Microsoft for future consideration.
Try WPS Office for Seamless Data Management
If you frequently encounter legacy font issues or compatibility bugs in Microsoft Excel, consider switching to WPS Office. It is a highly compatible, free alternative that offers excellent support for complex scripts and standard formatting, ensuring your spreadsheets look and function exactly as intended.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the free installation package.
- 2. Open Your Workbook: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and seamlessly open your existing Excel files without losing any formatting.
- 3. Manage Your Data: Apply Unicode fonts, sort, and filter your data using a robust set of spreadsheet tools.

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.




