Over seven months after its previous 1.4.2 bugfix release, the popular open-source vector graphics editor Inkscape has issued its latest version, 1.4.3, as the third maintenance update to the 1.4 series, which includes roughly 124 bug and crash fixes.
Twenty-four of them fix crashes and freezes, many of which previously prevented users from opening specific files, exporting objects, or working reliably with text, paths, and Live Path Effects.
Several of these crashes affected common operations such as PDF export, text-on-path editing, layer manipulation, and alignment tools.
Beyond stability work, Inkscape 1.4.3 resolves close to 100 additional bugs and smaller usability issues. JPEG and JPG export functionality, which had been broken on Windows, is fully restored.
On macOS, a long-standing issue where user interface text appeared as rectangle placeholders, commonly referred to as “tofu”, has been fixed, ensuring consistent text rendering across the application.
Regarding PDF handling, the import dialog now behaves more predictably, remembers user choices, and avoids importing unnecessary clipping paths. Font substitution during PDF import is more reliable, and selecting individual pages when using Cairo-based import is clearer and more accurate.
Inkscape 1.4.3 also serves as a bridge release ahead of the upcoming 1.5 series. It allows users to convert documents created with the new, standardized SVG page format planned for Inkscape 1.5 back into the legacy format used by earlier versions.
And something important: files saved with versions older than 1.4.3 will not be able to interpret pages created in the upcoming Inkscape 1.5, making this release essential for users who collaborate across versions.
Performance and interface behavior have received targeted refinements. Ungrouping large object collections is again significantly faster, toolbars respond more smoothly when resizing the application window, and several dialogs behave more consistently during repeated adjustments.
Additionally, menu layouts have been adjusted to reduce accidental actions, and numerous small UI glitches affecting snapping, alignment, gradients, and text handling have been resolved.
Finally, the update expands international support, shipping with over 20 updated interface languages and more than a dozen updated documentation translations.
For more information, see the announcement or refer to the release notes.
