Install

Put a font on your OSD

These fonts are for flight controllers with an analog OSD chip (MAX7456 or compatible) running Betaflight. The font lives in the OSD chip, so it stays after a firmware flash.

With Betaflight Configurator

  1. Download the .mcm from Retro fonts or Mix.
  2. Connect the flight controller and open Configurator.
  3. Open the OSD tab and click Font Manager.
  4. Click Load font file and pick the .mcm.
  5. Click Upload font, wait until it finishes, then power-cycle the quad.

Straight from this site

  1. Use Chrome, Edge or Opera on a desktop computer (they have Web Serial).
  2. Plug in the flight controller over USB. Add a battery if the OSD chip is only powered from it.
  3. Close Configurator and any CLI session, so the port is free.
  4. On the Mix page or in the editor, click Upload to FC and pick the port.
  5. Power-cycle the quad when it says Done.

If something's off

It doesn't work

  • No reply: another app still has the port open, or the board is in DFU mode. Close the app, unplug and replug.
  • Stops part-way: the OSD chip lost power. Connect a battery and try again.
  • Old font still shows: the chip only reloads its font at power-up.
  • Want your old font back: Configurator's Font Manager has the stock fonts, or re-upload a saved .mcm.

What gets replaced

A font has 256 characters of 12×18 pixels. Retro fonts only supply letters, digits and punctuation (0x20–0x5F). Symbols such as battery, RSSI, horizon and arrows come from an icon set, and 0xA0–0xFF hold the 288×72 boot logo.

Digital systems

DJI, HDZero, Walksnail and Avatar goggles draw the OSD themselves with their own font format. .mcm files only apply to analog MAX7456 OSDs.