microsoft/cascadia-code

Analysis updated 2026-06-20

★ 27,668PythonAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5Setup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((cascadia-code))
    What it is
      Monospaced font
      Programming ligatures
      Microsoft open source
    Variants
      Cascadia Code
      Cascadia Mono
      NF Nerd Font
      PL Powerline
    File formats
      Variable TTF
      Static TTF OTF
      WOFF2 for web
    Use cases
      Code editors
      Terminal prompts
      Websites
    Bundled with
      Windows Terminal
      Visual Studio

mindmap root((cascadia-code)) What it is Monospaced font Programming ligatures Microsoft open source Variants Cascadia Code Cascadia Mono NF Nerd Font PL Powerline File formats Variable TTF Static TTF OTF WOFF2 for web Use cases Code editors Terminal prompts Websites Bundled with Windows Terminal Visual Studio

Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Switch your code editor or terminal to Cascadia Code for a cleaner reading experience with optional programming ligatures for arrows and comparisons.

USE CASE 2

Use Cascadia Mono (the no-ligature variant) if you prefer plain characters in your terminal or prefer not to see combined symbols.

USE CASE 3

Install the Nerd Font or Powerline variant to display icon symbols in tools like Starship prompt, Oh My Zsh, or Neovim status lines.

USE CASE 4

Embed Cascadia Code on a website using the WOFF2 files to show code samples in a readable monospaced font.

What is it built with?

Python

How does it compare?

	microsoft/cascadia-code	pydantic/pydantic	locustio/locust
Stars	27,668	27,694	27,764
Language	Python	Python	Python
Setup difficulty	easy	easy	easy
Complexity	1/5	2/5	2/5
Audience	developer	developer	developer

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

In plain English

Cascadia Code is a free, open-source monospaced font (a font where every character takes up the same width, which makes code easier to read in a text editor) created by Microsoft. It was designed specifically for programmers and ships bundled with Windows Terminal, and is also the default font in Visual Studio. Its most distinctive feature is programming ligatures, special combined characters where, for example, two dashes and a greater-than sign (-->) display as a single arrow symbol. This does not change the underlying text, it just makes code visually cleaner. The font also includes support for Powerline symbols (icons used in custom terminal prompts) and Nerd Font symbols (a large icon set for developer tools). The font comes in several variants. The standard "Cascadia Code" includes ligatures, "Cascadia Mono" is a version without ligatures for those who prefer plain characters. Both come with "PL" (Powerline) and "NF" (Nerd Font) versions that embed additional symbols. There is also a cursive italic style accessible via an OpenType feature code. Multiple file formats are provided, variable TTF (recommended for most users), static TTF and OTF, and WOFF2 for websites. You would use Cascadia Code if you spend a lot of time in a code editor or terminal and want a font that makes code easier to read, with optional visual enhancements like arrow ligatures and icon symbols.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

How do I install Cascadia Code on Windows and set it as the font in Windows Terminal with ligatures enabled? Show me the exact settings.json changes I need to make.

Prompt 2

I'm setting up VS Code on macOS with Cascadia Code. Write the settings.json entries to set the font, enable programming ligatures, and set a comfortable font size.

Prompt 3

What is the difference between Cascadia Code, Cascadia Mono, Cascadia Code NF, and Cascadia Code PL? Help me pick the right variant for my iTerm2 terminal with the Starship prompt.

Prompt 4

How do I enable the cursive italic style in Cascadia Code for VS Code so comments and keywords appear in the italic variant? Show me the settings.json snippet.

Prompt 5

I want to use Cascadia Code on my website for code blocks. Write the CSS @font-face rule using the WOFF2 file from the GitHub releases page.

Frequently asked questions

What is cascadia-code?

Cascadia Code is a free monospaced programming font from Microsoft with optional ligatures (turning character sequences like --> into a single arrow symbol), bundled with Windows Terminal and Visual Studio.

What language is cascadia-code written in?

Mainly Python. The stack also includes Python.

How hard is cascadia-code to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is cascadia-code for?

Mainly developer.

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