Skip to main content
Termy provides flexible font configuration with support for any monospace font installed on your system. This guide covers font discovery, configuration, and optimization.

​
Finding Available Fonts

Termy includes a CLI tool to list all monospace fonts available on your system.

​
Using the Font Listing Tool

1

Run the Font List Command

Open Termy and run:
termy list-fonts
2

Browse Available Fonts

The command outputs all monospace fonts detected on your system:
JetBrains Mono
Fira Code
Source Code Pro
Cascadia Code
IBM Plex Mono
DejaVu Sans Mono
...
3

Choose Your Font

Note the exact name of the font you want to use

​
Platform-Specific Font Discovery

macOS: Termy queries the system font database for monospace fonts Linux: Termy uses fc-list (fontconfig) to enumerate fonts: 
fc-list :spacing=mono -f "%{family}\n"
Windows: Termy provides a curated list of common monospace fonts
If termy list-fonts shows no output, the CLI may not be installed. Install it via Termy’s settings or use manual font names.

​
Configuring Font Family

1

Open Configuration

Edit ~/.config/termy/config.txt
2

Set Font Family

Update the font_family setting:
font_family = JetBrains Mono
3

Restart Termy

Relaunch Termy to apply the new font

​
Font Name Requirements

  • Use the exact font family name as shown by termy list-fonts
  • Font names are case-sensitive
  • Include spaces if present in the font name
  • Don’t include style suffixes like “Regular” or “Bold”
Correct: 
font_family = JetBrains Mono
font_family = Fira Code
font_family = Source Code Pro
Incorrect: 
font_family = jetbrains-mono          # Wrong case
font_family = JetBrains Mono Regular  # Includes style
font_family = "JetBrains Mono"        # Don't quote

​
Configuring Font Size

Set the font size in pixels: 
font_size = 14
Display TypeRecommended Size
Laptop (13-15”)12-14px
Desktop (24”)14-16px
4K Display18-24px
Retina Display14-16px (scales automatically)

​
Testing Different Sizes

Quickly test sizes by editing config and restarting: 
# Try different values
font_size = 12  # Smaller, more compact
font_size = 14  # Default, balanced
font_size = 16  # Larger, easier to read
font_size = 18  # Presentation mode
Font size is specified in pixels, not points. This ensures consistent rendering across different display densities.

​
Font Rendering Options

Termy handles font rendering automatically, but you can optimize appearance:

​
Padding Adjustments

Adjust padding to optimize spacing around text: 
# Horizontal padding (left/right)
padding_x = 12

# Vertical padding (top/bottom)
padding_y = 8
Larger fonts may benefit from increased padding: 
# For font_size = 18
padding_x = 16
padding_y = 12

​
Line Height

Termy automatically calculates line height based on font metrics. If lines feel cramped:
  • Try a different font with better vertical spacing
  • Increase padding_y for more breathing room
  • Use fonts designed for terminal use (see recommendations below)

​
Best Overall

JetBrains Mono (default)
  • Designed specifically for coding
  • Excellent ligature support
  • Clear distinction between similar characters (0/O, 1/l/I)
  • Free and open-source
Download: jetbrains.com/lp/mono

​
Ligature Fonts

Fira Code
  • Beautiful ligatures for common code symbols (=>, !=, >=)
  • Based on Fira Mono with added ligatures
  • Great for modern programming languages
Cascadia Code
  • Microsoft’s font with ligatures
  • Cursive italic variant available
  • Excellent Windows integration
Ligature support depends on the font. Termy renders ligatures if the font provides them, but not all fonts include ligatures.

​
Classic Monospace

Source Code Pro
  • Adobe’s clean, professional font
  • No ligatures (if you prefer plain characters)
  • Excellent readability
DejaVu Sans Mono
  • Default on many Linux systems
  • Wide character support
  • Unicode coverage
Hack
  • Optimized for source code
  • Clear at small sizes
  • Powerline symbols included

​
Retro/Alternative

IBM Plex Mono
  • Modern take on IBM’s classic terminal font
  • Professional appearance
  • Multiple weights available
Inconsolata
  • Compact and efficient
  • Good for smaller displays
  • Clean, minimalist design

​
Installing New Fonts

​
macOS

1

Download Font

Download the font file (usually .ttf or .otf)
2

Install via Font Book

Double-click the font file and click “Install Font”Or manually:
cp ~/Downloads/FontName.ttf ~/Library/Fonts/
3

Restart Termy

Termy will detect the new font on next launch

​
Linux

1

Download Font

Download the font file
2

Install System-Wide or User-Only

System-wide:
sudo cp FontName.ttf /usr/share/fonts/truetype/
sudo fc-cache -f -v
User-only:
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/fonts
cp FontName.ttf ~/.local/share/fonts/
fc-cache -f -v
3

Verify Installation

fc-list | grep "FontName"
4

Update Termy Config

font_family = FontName

​
Windows

1

Download Font

Download the font file
2

Install Font

Right-click the font file and select “Install” or “Install for all users”
3

Restart Termy

Launch Termy and update config

​
Troubleshooting

​
Font Not Found

Symptom: Termy falls back to a different font Solutions:
  1. Verify exact font name: 
    termy list-fonts | grep -i "jetbrains"
  2. Check font installation: 
    # macOS
ls ~/Library/Fonts/ | grep -i "jetbrains"

# Linux
fc-list | grep -i "jetbrains"
  3. Ensure font is monospace: Termy requires monospace fonts. Proportional fonts won’t work correctly.

​
Blurry or Pixelated Text

macOS:
  • Check System Preferences > Displays > Resolution
  • Ensure “Default for display” or “Scaled” is selected
  • Termy handles retina scaling automatically
Linux:
  • Verify fontconfig antialiasing: 
    cat ~/.config/fontconfig/fonts.conf
  • Enable antialiasing if disabled
Windows:
  • Check ClearType settings
  • Ensure display scaling is set correctly

​
Characters Not Aligned

Symptom: Box drawing characters or Unicode symbols misaligned Cause: Font doesn’t include those characters or has inconsistent metrics Solution:
  • Use a font with comprehensive Unicode coverage (DejaVu Sans Mono, JetBrains Mono)
  • Test character support: 
    echo "┌─┐│└┘├┤┬┴┼"
echo "→ ← ↑ ↓ ✓ ✗"

​
Ligatures Not Working

Symptom: Code symbols like => don’t combine Check:
  1. Font supports ligatures (Fira Code, Cascadia Code, JetBrains Mono)
  2. Font is correctly installed
  3. Font name exactly matches installed font
Termy automatically enables ligatures for fonts that support them. There’s no separate configuration needed.

​
Font Size Too Large/Small After Update

If font size seems off after changing fonts:
  1. Different fonts render at different visual sizes even with the same pixel size
  2. Adjust font_size up or down by 1-2px
  3. Test with sample code to find optimal size

​
Advanced Configuration

​
Font Fallback

If your primary font doesn’t include certain Unicode characters, the system uses fallback fonts automatically. Example: Using Nerd Font symbols with JetBrains Mono:
  • JetBrains Mono handles ASCII and common Unicode
  • System falls back to Nerd Font for symbols like ,

​
Font Features

Some fonts support OpenType features. Termy enables standard features automatically:
  • Ligatures (liga, calt): Automatically enabled
  • Kerning (kern): Automatically applied
  • Stylistic sets: Not configurable (uses font defaults)

​
Font Rendering Performance

Font rendering is optimized automatically, but for best performance:
  • Use fonts with good hinting (JetBrains Mono, Source Code Pro)
  • Avoid extremely large font sizes (>30px)
  • Consider system font cache on Linux: 
    fc-cache -f -v

​
Testing Your Font Configuration

Verify your font looks good with real content: 
# Test character differentiation
echo "0O 1lI S5 2Z 8B 6b"

# Test ligatures (if supported)
echo "=> != >= <= -> <-"

# Test box drawing
echo "┌─┬─┐"
echo "│ │ │"
echo "├─┼─┤"
echo "│ │ │"
echo "└─┴─┘"

# Test Unicode symbols
echo "✓ ✗ → ← ↑ ↓ ★ ☆"

# Test code syntax
cat > test.js <<EOF
const fn = () => {
  return x >= 5 && y !== null;
};
EOF
cat test.js

​
Best Practices

​
1. Match Font to Task

  • Coding: JetBrains Mono, Fira Code (ligatures)
  • Logs/Reading: Source Code Pro, IBM Plex Mono
  • Retro/Fun: Inconsolata, Hack

​
2. Consistent Sizing Across Displays

Use different configs for different displays: 
# Laptop config
font_size = 13

# External 4K monitor config  
font_size = 16

​
3. Pair Fonts with Themes

Some fonts look better with certain color schemes:
  • Light themes: Use slightly larger font size for comfort
  • Dark themes: Standard size works well

​
4. Test Before Committing

Spend a day with a new font before deciding. Initial impressions can be misleading.

​
Example Configurations

​
Developer Setup

font_family = JetBrains Mono
font_size = 14
padding_x = 12
padding_y = 8
theme = tokyo-night-dark

​
Presentation Mode

font_family = JetBrains Mono
font_size = 20
padding_x = 20
padding_y = 16
theme = clean-dark

​
Compact/Dense Layout

font_family = Inconsolata
font_size = 12
padding_x = 8
padding_y = 6
theme = termy

​
Accessibility (High Contrast)

font_family = Source Code Pro
font_size = 16
padding_x = 16
padding_y = 12
theme = custom-high-contrast

[colors]
foreground = #ffffff
background = #000000

​
Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us