matplotlib · QuLogic · Aug 6, 2026 · Jul 1, 2026 · Jul 1, 2026 · Jul 24, 2026
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/_c_internal_utils.pyi b/lib/matplotlib/_c_internal_utils.pyi
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 def display_is_valid() -> bool: ...
 def xdisplay_is_valid() -> bool: ...
+def get_available_fonts() ->  set[str] | None: ...
 
 def Win32_GetForegroundWindow() -> int | None: ...
 def Win32_SetForegroundWindow(hwnd: int) -> None: ...

diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.py b/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.py
@@ -37,14 +37,13 @@
 from numbers import Integral
 import os
 from pathlib import Path
-import plistlib
 import re
 import subprocess
 import sys
 import threading
 
 import matplotlib as mpl
-from matplotlib import _api, _afm, cbook, ft2font
+from matplotlib import _api, _afm, cbook, ft2font, _c_internal_utils
 from matplotlib._fontconfig_pattern import (
     parse_fontconfig_pattern, generate_fontconfig_pattern)
 from matplotlib.rcsetup import _validators
@@ -266,13 +265,12 @@ def _get_fontconfig_fonts():
 
 @cache
 def _get_macos_fonts():
-    """Cache and list the font paths known to ``system_profiler SPFontsDataType``."""
-    try:
-        d, = plistlib.loads(
-            subprocess.check_output(["system_profiler", "-xml", "SPFontsDataType"]))
-    except (OSError, subprocess.CalledProcessError, plistlib.InvalidFileException):
+    """Cache and list the font paths known to CoreText."""
+    path_strings = _c_internal_utils.get_available_fonts()
+    if path_strings:
+        return [Path(path_string) for path_string in path_strings]
+    else:
         return []
-    return [Path(entry["path"]) for entry in d["_items"]]
 
 
 def findSystemFonts(fontpaths=None, fontext='ttf'):
@@ -1224,7 +1222,7 @@ class FontManager:
     # Increment this version number whenever the font cache data
     # format or behavior has changed and requires an existing font
     # cache files to be rebuilt.
-    __version__ = '3.11.0'
+    __version__ = '3.12.0a1'
 
     def __init__(self, size=None, weight='normal'):
         self._version = self.__version__

diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.pyi b/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.pyi
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ def get_fontext_synonyms(fontext: str) -> list[str]: ...
 def list_fonts(directory: str, extensions: Iterable[str]) -> list[str]: ...
 def win32FontDirectory() -> str: ...
 def _get_fontconfig_fonts() -> list[Path]: ...
+def _get_macos_fonts() -> list[Path]: ...
 def _get_font_alt_names(
     font: ft2font.FT2Font, primary_name: str
 ) -> list[tuple[str, int]]: ...

diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_font_manager.py b/lib/matplotlib/tests/test_font_manager.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
     findfont, findSystemFonts, FontEntry, FontPath, FontProperties, fontManager,
     json_dump, json_load, get_font, is_opentype_cff_font,
     MSUserFontDirectories, ttfFontProperty, _get_font_alt_names,
-    _get_fontconfig_fonts, _normalize_weight)
+    _get_fontconfig_fonts, _get_macos_fonts, _normalize_weight)
 from matplotlib import cbook, ft2font, pyplot as plt, rc_context, figure as mfigure
 from matplotlib.testing import subprocess_run_helper, subprocess_run_for_testing
 
@@ -201,6 +201,20 @@ def test_find_invalid(tmp_path):
         get_font(bytes(tmp_path / 'non-existent-font-name.ttf'))
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform != 'darwin', reason='macOS only')
+def test_get_macos_fonts(tmpdir, monkeypatch):
+    fonts_found = {font_path.stem for font_path in _get_macos_fonts()}
+
+    # Check for various system fonts that are listed on:
+    # https://developer.apple.com/fonts/system-fonts/
+    assorted_system_fonts = {
+        'Apple Braille', 'Avenir', 'Baskerville', 'Cochin', 'Didot', 'Helvetica',
+        'Hoefler Text', 'Impact', 'Monaco', 'Tahoma', 'Verdana'
+    }
+
+    assert assorted_system_fonts.issubset(fonts_found)
+
+
 @pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform != 'linux' or not has_fclist,
                     reason='only Linux with fontconfig installed')
 def test_user_fonts_linux(tmpdir, monkeypatch):

diff --git a/src/_c_internal_utils.cpp b/src/_c_internal_utils.cpp
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@
 #else
 #define UNUSED_ON_NON_WINDOWS Py_UNUSED
 #endif
+#ifdef __APPLE__
+#include <CoreFoundation/CoreFoundation.h>
+#include <CoreText/CoreText.h>
+#endif
 
 namespace py = pybind11;
 using namespace pybind11::literals;
@@ -95,6 +99,61 @@ mpl_display_is_valid(void)
 #endif
 }
 
+static py::object
+mpl_get_available_fonts(void)
+{
+#if defined(__APPLE__)
+    py::set fonts;
+
+    auto cfStringToPyStr = [](CFStringRef str) -> py::str {
+        auto cstr = CFStringGetCStringPtr(str, kCFStringEncodingUTF8);
+        if (cstr) {
+            return py::str(cstr);
+        }
+        auto length = CFStringGetLength(str);
+        auto maxSize = CFStringGetMaximumSizeForEncoding(length, kCFStringEncodingUTF8) + 1;
+        auto buffer = std::make_unique<char[]>(maxSize);
+        py::str result;
+        if (CFStringGetCString(str, buffer.get(), maxSize, kCFStringEncodingUTF8)) {
+            result = py::str(buffer.get());
+        }
+        return result;
+    };
+
+    auto collection = CTFontCollectionCreateFromAvailableFonts(NULL);
+    auto descriptors = collection ?
+        CTFontCollectionCreateMatchingFontDescriptors(collection) : NULL;
+    auto count = descriptors ? CFArrayGetCount(descriptors) : 0;
+    for (CFIndex i = 0; i < count; i++) {
+        auto descriptor = static_cast<CTFontDescriptorRef>(
+            CFArrayGetValueAtIndex(descriptors, i));
+        auto url = static_cast<CFURLRef>(
+            CTFontDescriptorCopyAttribute(descriptor, kCTFontURLAttribute));
+        CFStringRef path = nullptr;
+        if (url) {
+            path = CFURLCopyFileSystemPath(url, kCFURLPOSIXPathStyle);
+            CFRelease(url);
+        }
+        if (path) {
+            auto pyStr = cfStringToPyStr(path);
+            if (pyStr) {
+                fonts.add(pyStr);
+            }
+            CFRelease(path);
+        }
+    }
+    if (descriptors) {
+        CFRelease(descriptors);
+    }
+    if (collection) {
+        CFRelease(collection);
+    }
+    return fonts;
+#else
+    return py::none();
+#endif
+}
+
 static py::object
 mpl_GetCurrentProcessExplicitAppUserModelID(void)
 {
@@ -210,6 +269,13 @@ PYBIND11_MODULE(_c_internal_utils, m, py::mod_gil_not_used())
         only (e.g., for Tkinter).
 
         On other platforms, always returns True.)""");
+    m.def(
+        "get_available_fonts", &mpl_get_available_fonts,
+        R"""(        --
+        On macOS, uses CoreText to find all fonts available to the current
+        process and returns the paths as a set of strings.
+
+        On other platforms, always returns None.)""");
     m.def(
         "Win32_GetCurrentProcessExplicitAppUserModelID",
         &mpl_GetCurrentProcessExplicitAppUserModelID,

diff --git a/src/meson.build b/src/meson.build
@@ -30,6 +30,12 @@ else
   user32 = []
 endif
 
+if host_machine.system() == 'darwin'
+  coretext = dependency('appleframeworks', modules: 'CoreText')
+else
+  coretext = []
+endif
+
 extension_data = {
   '_backend_agg': {
     'subdir': 'matplotlib/backends',
@@ -44,7 +50,7 @@ extension_data = {
     'sources': files(
       '_c_internal_utils.cpp',
     ),
-    'dependencies': [pybind11_dep, dl, ole32, shell32, user32],
+    'dependencies': [pybind11_dep, dl, ole32, shell32, user32, coretext],
   },
   'ft2font': {
     'subdir': 'matplotlib',