Text options

Avalonia provides fine-grained control over how text is rendered through the TextOptions attached properties. These settings affect hinting, pixel alignment, and rendering mode for text within a control and its descendants.

Properties

Attached property	Type	Default	Description
TextOptions.TextRenderingMode	TextRenderingMode	Auto	Controls whether text uses anti-aliasing, ClearType/subpixel rendering, or aliased rendering.
TextOptions.TextHintingMode	TextHintingMode	Full	Controls how font hinting is applied. Hinting adjusts glyph outlines to align with the pixel grid for sharper text at small sizes.
TextOptions.BaselinePixelAlignment	BaselinePixelAlignment	Unspecified	Controls whether text baselines snap to whole pixel boundaries.

TextRenderingMode

Value	Description
Auto	The platform chooses the best rendering mode.
Alias	Text is rendered without anti-aliasing. Produces sharp but jagged edges, useful for pixel-art fonts or very small text.
Antialias	Text is rendered with grayscale anti-aliasing.
SubpixelAntialias	Text is rendered with subpixel anti-aliasing (e.g., ClearType on Windows). Produces the sharpest text on LCD displays.

<TextBlock Text="Aliased text"
           TextOptions.TextRenderingMode="Alias" />

<TextBlock Text="Subpixel text"
           TextOptions.TextRenderingMode="SubpixelAntialias" />

TextHintingMode

Font hinting adjusts glyph outlines so they align with the pixel grid. This improves readability at small sizes but can distort glyph shapes. Reducing or disabling hinting preserves the original typeface design, which is preferable for large text or animated text.

Value	Description
None	No hinting. Glyphs use their original outlines. Best for large or animated text.
Slight	Minimal hinting. Adjusts vertical metrics only, preserving horizontal glyph shapes.
Normal	Moderate hinting.
Full	Full hinting (default). Maximum pixel-grid alignment for sharpest small text.

<!-- Large heading with no hinting for smooth outlines -->
<TextBlock Text="Welcome"
           FontSize="48"
           TextOptions.TextHintingMode="None" />

<!-- Body text with full hinting for maximum readability -->
<TextBlock Text="Read the details below."
           FontSize="14"
           TextOptions.TextHintingMode="Full" />

BaselinePixelAlignment

Controls whether text baselines snap to whole pixel boundaries. Pixel-aligned baselines produce sharper text in static layouts. Unaligned baselines allow sub-pixel positioning, which prevents text from "jumping" during animations or smooth scrolling.

Value	Description
Unspecified	The platform decides (typically aligned for static text).
Aligned	Baselines snap to the nearest pixel. Best for static UI text.
Unaligned	Baselines use sub-pixel positioning. Best for animated or smoothly scrolled text.

<!-- Prevent text snapping during a RenderTransform animation -->
<TextBlock Text="Sliding text"
           TextOptions.BaselinePixelAlignment="Unaligned">
    <TextBlock.RenderTransform>
        <TranslateTransform />
    </TextBlock.RenderTransform>
</TextBlock>

Applying to a container

Like RenderOptions, TextOptions is inherited by child controls. Set it on a container to affect all text within:

<StackPanel TextOptions.TextHintingMode="None"
            TextOptions.BaselinePixelAlignment="Unaligned">
    <TextBlock Text="All text in this panel" />
    <TextBlock Text="uses no hinting and sub-pixel baselines." />
</StackPanel>

Setting from code

TextOptions.SetTextHintingMode(myControl, TextHintingMode.None);
TextOptions.SetBaselinePixelAlignment(myControl, BaselinePixelAlignment.Unaligned);

See also

• Image Interpolation: Bitmap rendering quality options via RenderOptions.
• Custom Rendering: Drawing with the Avalonia rendering API.