How to Insert Wingdings Characters in PDF and Fix Font Display Issues
Question details
The user needs to insert and display a Wingdings character (code 0140) correctly in a PDF without the font changing or substituting to another typeface.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat / Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Exporting a spreadsheet containing Wingdings characters to a PDF or editing an existing PDF document with symbols.
- Observed behavior
- A Wingdings character displays perfectly in Excel, but it unexpectedly changes to a Minion Pro character when the document is opened or edited in Adobe Acrobat.
Ensure you have access to the original source file (like the Excel spreadsheet) because fixing this issue is much easier and more effective during the PDF export phase than trying to fix it within a flattened PDF.
Embed the Wingdings Font During PDF Creation
Force the PDF exporter to embed the original Wingdings font so that the PDF reader does not substitute it with a default font.
Wingdings uses legacy font-based character mapping instead of standard Unicode. When Adobe Acrobat attempts to render a Wingdings symbol without the font embedded, it replaces it with a default serif font like Minion Pro.
Launch the application where your original document was created (e.g., Microsoft Excel) and open the file containing the Wingdings character.
Navigate to the 'File' tab and select 'Save As' or 'Export to PDF'.
Before saving, click on 'Options' or 'Preferences' in the save dialog box. Ensure that the setting to 'Embed all fonts' (or similar wording based on your PDF printer) is checked, then save the file.
Open the newly created PDF in Adobe Acrobat. Go to 'File' > 'Properties' and click on the 'Fonts' tab. Confirm that 'Wingdings' is listed with the text '(Embedded)' or '(Embedded Subset)' next to it.
Use Unicode Characters or Modern Symbol Fonts
Replace the legacy Wingdings font with standard Unicode characters to ensure universal compatibility across all PDF viewers.
Convert Documents with Perfect Formatting using WPS Office
WPS Office offers a built-in, highly optimized PDF converter that automatically handles font embedding. You can convert Excel spreadsheets containing Wingdings or other specialty fonts to PDF without worrying about missing symbols or formatting issues.
- 1. Open Your Spreadsheet in WPS: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open the file that contains your Wingdings characters.
- 2. Use the Export to PDF Tool: Click on 'Menu' in the top-left corner, go to 'Export to PDF', and select it.
- 3. Export with Confidence: In the export dialog, ensure the save path is correct. WPS Office will automatically preserve your formatting and embed the necessary fonts. Click 'Export' to generate your universally compatible PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Wingdings symbol turn into a Minion Pro letter in Adobe Acrobat?
Wingdings relies on an older, legacy character mapping system. If the PDF does not have the Wingdings font explicitly embedded during creation, Acrobat cannot display the symbol and defaults to substituting it with a standard serif font like Minion Pro.
How can I check which fonts are embedded in my PDF?
Open your PDF file in your viewer (such as Adobe Acrobat or WPS PDF). Go to 'File', select 'Properties', and then navigate to the 'Fonts' tab. This section will list all fonts used in the document and indicate if they are embedded.
Are Unicode characters better than Wingdings for PDFs?
Yes. Unicode characters have universal standardization. Unlike legacy symbol fonts, standard Unicode symbols will display properly on practically any modern device or software without needing specialized font embedding.
Can I just change the Minion Pro text back to Wingdings inside the PDF?
If you have a premium PDF editor and the Wingdings font is installed locally on your system, you can select the substituted text and change the font family back. However, to prevent the issue for other users viewing the file, embedding the font from the source document is required.
