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Is it possible in cmd to set the character cell size to exactly 1x1 pixels?

Anton Sumak 0 Reputation points
2025-12-10T21:06:49.4366667+00:00

Hello, I am experimenting with cmd and I would like to know if it is possible to configure the console font so that each character cell is rendered as exactly 1x1 pixels.

I have already tried several approaches, but none of them achieved this goal:

  • Using the WinAPI function SetCurrentConsoleFontEx, the smallest size I could obtain was 1x2.
  • I created a custom font with no padding or spacing, but the result was still 1x2.
  • With a square font (equal width and height glyphs), the minimum size became 2x2.
  • I also investigated raster fonts: I discovered that each Terminal font size corresponds to a separate .FON file. I was able to replace app866.fon, but I could not add a new font file to introduce a new size (1x1).

Given these attempts, I would like to ask:

  • Is there any supported way in Windows to achieve a true 1x1 pixel font size in cmd?
  • Or is this limitation inherent to the way cmd renders fonts through GDI?

Thank you very much for your guidance.

Windows development | Windows API - Win32

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  1. Jack Dang (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 5,795 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-12-11T09:10:45.2566667+00:00

    Hi @Anton Sumak ,

    Thanks for reaching out.

    What you’re trying to achieve - a true 1×1 pixel character cell in the Windows Console (cmd) - doesn’t appear to be supported by the way the console renders text. The console relies on GDI-style font rendering, and in practice it enforces a minimum glyph size that’s larger than 1 pixel. Even when using custom raster fonts, .FON files, or APIs like SetCurrentConsoleFontEx, the console tends to clamp the size to something like 1×2 or 2×2, rather than accepting 1×1. From what’s observable, this behavior seems to come from the console subsystem itself rather than the specific font files you supply.

    Because of that, there doesn’t seem to be a way to get true 1×1 pixel character cells in cmd, and there’s no documented API setting that would allow overriding the minimum character-cell size.

    If you need a very small “pixel-like” effect, one possible workaround is to design glyphs that act as pixel fragments. With a minimum cell size of 1×2, you can create characters that represent things like the top half or bottom half of a pixel. By combining multiple characters, you can visually approximate finer resolution, even though the console still isn’t rendering real 1×1 cells underneath.

    Hope this helps! If my answer was helpful - kindly follow the instructions here so others with the same problem can benefit as well.

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