Fonts changing in files when opened in Illustrator 29.5.1
Existing files created in illustrator (on a different desktop) when opened in v29.5 & v29.5.1 display incorrect fonts - the font is changed to a completely different font (e.g. Myriad Pro will be changed to Times New Roman) throughout the document. All the text in that font family is changed, but other fonts used in the document will display correctly. The font is installed correctly on the system and the changed font can be changed to the correct font by selecting the font from the illustrator font list. The thumbnails display correctly in Bridge before opening in illustrator. Reverting illustrator back to v29.4 resolves the problem

The team reports the Beta, starting with 29.7.0.88, should have a fix for this.
This particular build introduces a lot of WIP snapping-related changes, so if your work depends on this, be mindful of it. However, before this fix gets pushed into general build, having the confirmation it actually works would be great — so please check it, if possible, and comment back.
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Erik Woods commented
Well I cancelled my subscription, was waived my cancellation fee, and I'll be charging my credit card back for the last year that I already paid for. This ordeal "inspired me" to go back to my roots and figure out how to pirate software. Now I have free copies of older versions of the software which work fantastically, and I also learned how to properly emulate a fake CC subscription, so I mean I can just use current versions if I want, too.
I spent literally months struggling to find workarounds for bugs and glitches when I could have just spent 35 minutes on Google.
Good going, ********. Lol
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Hannah commented
This absolutely unhinged issue is beyond frustrating - it's been happening for me all week since an update. To find that this is a known issue that has been happening for others for MONTHS.... Adobe. DO. BETTER.
I'm hoping reverting back to v29.4 solves the issue but not holding my breath. -
Erik Woods commented
Happened to me today. I've been working on one single project off and on for the past few months, a business card for my new small business, and it's all gone in a flash.
I even went out and licensed a font. Now my whole project changed in ways I don't remember how to correct.
It feels like months of money, time and fulfillment taken from me.Edit: I fixed it but **** this **** fr
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Andre commented
Having the same problem, on multiple files, but not ALL files on our server. Some fonts changes weight, some fonts change to other fonts currently being used on the same file, doesn't look like there is any logic.
We have +10 people working on several projects (not 2 people working on the same files at any time), but each project may have a few files with this problem. If it's any relevant, we use OneDrive to share files within the company, and most of us were on Illustrator 29.6.1. Reverting to 29.4 DID NOT solved our problem.
It's been two months now, with more than one update since then.
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Ryli Julander commented
Is there a way to recover the files that this glitched ruined? I saved my .ai file, closed out adobe because it was lagging, re-opened adobe and my .ai file within 5 minutes and all the text was mixed up with different weights and fonts. This is a 10+ hour project that has a tight deadline.
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Rachel Hettinga commented
Is there an update on this? I am also experiencing this and it is extremely critical as I open and close many documents daily for work. It has caused a lot of wasted time. For a very expensive program, I would have expected this to be an important fix as it has been almost 2 months since this post.
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Jane Gardner commented
I'm having the same issue. Here's an example - the top image is a screenshot of the illustrator file (with incorrect fonts) and the bottom image is a screenshot from the PDF I had saved of it (with correct fonts).
Hope this is resolved soon!!! -
Jeff Cline commented
Same issue here. All of the fonts in my document have been changed upon opening.
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Becky commented
Experiencing issues with fonts as well. Was working on a file all day today without issue. Saved & closed the file to restart my computer and when I try to open the file again, a lot of my typefaces have been changed. In some cases to a related font (Sofia Pro to Sofia Pro Condensed) but in other cases the font has been updated to an entirely different font (a hand drawn script is now a sans serif).
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sota commented
1-A. Operating System: macOS (CPU: Intel) Sequoia 15.5
1-B. Illustrator Version: 29.6
2. Steps performed when the issue occurred: The issue occurs when opening a specific Illustrator file that was created previously.
3. Expected result: The file should open with the previously created data in its original state.
4. Actual result: The fonts within the specific file have been replaced with different fonts. I tested opening the file on multiple computers running both Mac and Windows, but the results were the same across all platforms. However, when I downgraded Illustrator to version 29.4 and opened the file, it displayed with the original fonts correctly (version 29.5 did not work).
It's worth noting that the fonts are not being replaced with completely unrelated fonts. Instead, they are being replaced with fonts that I had temporarily used when originally creating this file at some point during the design process.
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Kelly Schmidt commented
This is happening to me as well. I was happy to see this topic here and reverting Illustrator back to v29.4 solves the problem for me as well. I won't be able to use the latest version until this is fixed as it is pretty chaotic the way the fonts are changed. Most of my fonts are changed to Myriad Pro or Times New Roman. But there's no consistency with what changes, so find/replace is not a good fix. And when I click on the text box it shows it as the changed font, not the one I originally chose. All the fonts are correctly installed and active. It's very frustrating.
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Please package the project and send it to the team for reviewing, at sharewithai@adobe.com
Mention the link to this report for tracking it: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447/suggestions/50066601 -
Zou Mar commented
When I open the saved file, the fonts used are completely mixed up. It's quite a pain to set them up correctly one by one. See attachment. This has been happening to me quite often for the last two weeks.
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MarkR commented
As of about 20 minutes ago, and after almost losing my mind, and after opening a particular file over and over and over on several different iMacs (from 2020 to 2025 machines) and using several different versions of Illustrator (from 2021 to 2025), SUDDENLY the font replacement issue is gone, and everything is back to normal!!! The automatic font replacement issue lasted for about 2-3 hours (2-3 wasted hours of freaking out) and now everything is just fine. WHAT-IN-THE-WORLD was that about???
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MarkR commented
This just occurred with me as well (like within the last hour!)! This is maddening and it's completely shutting everything I do down! ALL my fonts and typefaces have been replaced in every single file I work with.
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Corstiaan, can you please package the document and share it with the team, along with font used (if possible)?
Send it over to sharewithai@adobe.com -
Corstiaan Zeeman commented
In Adobe Illustrator version 29.5.1, the font Basic Sans (an Adobe font) is unexpectedly being replaced by Times New Roman without any warning.
Strangely, this font replacement does not occur throughout the entire document—some instances of Basic Sans remain unchanged.
Additionally, when previewing the file using Quick Look, the font appears correctly and is not replaced in the preview.
We are working on the latest Mac minis, and a colleague on a PC is experiencing the exact same issue. This affects our clients entire portfolio.
After reverting to Illustrator version 29.4, the problem no longer occurs.
This is (for us) a critical issue, as we supply these files to agencies and printing companies worldwide for local adaptation.
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Peter Petersen commented
After the update, this message now appears, saying that my files were created in a different version. But it should be backwards compatible.
New idea from comment
This comment was upgraded into a new idea: Illustrator wrongly says texts were created in different version of Illustrator -
Peter Petersen commented
I have saved a bunch of illustrator files a few days ago, openning them in acrobat it shows the correct fonts, but while oppening thoses files in illustrator all fonts were replaced by another fonts automatically.
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Howard, some changes were made to how missing fonts are handled... Ai now tried to render the outlines for these, even if the fonts are missing, until you try to edit the text. But something goes odd here... the team is aware of this.
The docs use RichelaKids, Southern, and CestLavieRegular — just to be sure, are these all are installed at YOUR side when you open the files?
Can you share the links to these fonts, so the team can try to replicate the behavior? If you can share the font files — please do, send them to sharewithai@adobe.com, and put the link to the bug report so that they can track it: http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447/suggestions/49871712