DynamicFont in Godot 4: it is FontFile now
By Eduardo Orellana · Updated
DynamicFont is replaced by FontFile in Godot 4, and the size is no longer part of the font: you set font_size on the control or its theme. In a Godot 4 project, DynamicFont.new() fails to parse with Identifier "DynamicFont" not declared in the current scope. Did you mean to use "FontFile"?.
AppImage, x86_64. Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, Fedora 39 or newer.
Intel or AMD Chromebook, with Linux turned on.
What Godot is checking
GDScript resolves every name when the script loads. DynamicFont is not a class in Godot 4, so the analyzer stops before anything runs, and because the name is in Godot's own table of Godot 3 renames, the message names the replacement.
The converter carries DynamicFont and BitmapFont to FontFile. A .ttf or .otf imports straight to a FontFile, so DynamicFontData is gone too. Godot 3 made one DynamicFont per size; Godot 4 keeps one font and takes the size from the theme's font_size, or add_theme_font_size_override() on one control.
Reproduce it
A Godot 3 script that creates a DynamicFont in code, in a Godot 4 project.
extends Node
func _ready():
var font = DynamicFont.new()
print(font)
What Godot 4.7.2 prints
Godot Engine v4.7.2.stable.mono.official.ed1daf0bf - https://godotengine.org
SCRIPT ERROR: Parse Error: Identifier "DynamicFont" not declared in the current scope. Did you mean to use "FontFile"?
at: GDScript::reload (res://answers/dynamicfont-in-godot-4/repro.gd:4)
ERROR: Failed to load script "res://answers/dynamicfont-in-godot-4/repro.gd" with error "Parse error".
at: load (modules/gdscript/gdscript_resource_format.cpp:46)Fix it
A Label given a font size override, with the default font.
extends Control
func _ready() -> void:
var label := Label.new()
label.text = "Score"
label.add_theme_font_size_override("font_size", 32)
add_child(label)
print(label.get_theme_font_size("font_size"), " ", label.get_theme_font("font").get_class())
What the fixed script prints
Godot Engine v4.7.2.stable.mono.official.ed1daf0bf - https://godotengine.org
32 FontFileVerified on Godot 4.7.2
Both scripts on this page were run headless on Godot 4.7.2 (4.7.2.stable.mono.official.ed1daf0bf) on 18 October 2026, and the output above is what Godot printed, unedited.
Where the check lives in Godot's source: [gdscript_analyzer.cpp line 4687, the message with its hint](https://github.com/godotengine/godot/blob/4.7.2-stable/modules/gdscript/gdscript_analyzer.cpp#L4687), [renames_map_3_to_4.cpp line 1512, DynamicFont to FontFile](https://github.com/godotengine/godot/blob/4.7.2-stable/editor/project_upgrade/renames_map_3_to_4.cpp#L1512), [FontFile class reference](https://github.com/godotengine/godot/blob/4.7.2-stable/doc/classes/FontFile.xml).
Questions
- How do I load a .ttf file in code?
- load("res://fonts/game.ttf") returns a FontFile, or FontFile.new() and load_dynamic_font(path) for a file outside the project.
- How do I outline text?
- Set the control's outline_size and font_outline_color theme overrides.