diff --git a/src/config.zig b/src/config.zig
index b9f214fc9..5af7832dd 100644
--- a/src/config.zig
+++ b/src/config.zig
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ pub const CopyOnSelect = Config.CopyOnSelect;
 pub const CustomShaderAnimation = Config.CustomShaderAnimation;
 pub const FontSyntheticStyle = Config.FontSyntheticStyle;
 pub const FontStyle = Config.FontStyle;
+pub const FreetypeLoadFlags = Config.FreetypeLoadFlags;
 pub const Keybinds = Config.Keybinds;
 pub const MouseShiftCapture = Config.MouseShiftCapture;
 pub const NonNativeFullscreen = Config.NonNativeFullscreen;
diff --git a/src/config/Config.zig b/src/config/Config.zig
index 4cc943859..d8f007435 100644
--- a/src/config/Config.zig
+++ b/src/config/Config.zig
@@ -287,21 +287,24 @@ const c = @cImport({
 /// terminals. Only new terminals will use the new configuration.
 @"grapheme-width-method": GraphemeWidthMethod = .unicode,
 
-/// Freetype load flags to enable. The format of this is a list of flags to
+/// FreeType load flags to enable. The format of this is a list of flags to
 /// enable separated by commas. If you prefix a flag with `no-` then it is
 /// disabled. If you omit a flag, it's default value is used, so you must
 /// explicitly disable flags you don't want. You can also use `true` or `false`
 /// to turn all flags on or off.
 ///
+/// This configuration only applies to Ghostty builds that use FreeType.
+/// This is usually the case only for Linux builds. macOS uses CoreText
+/// and does not have an equivalent configuration.
+///
 /// Available flags:
 ///
 ///   * `hinting` - Enable or disable hinting, enabled by default.
-///   * `bitmap` - Enable or disable loading of any pre-rendered bitmap strikes,
-///     enabled by default
-///   * `force-autohint` - Use the freetype auto-hinter rather than the font's
-///     native hinter. Enabled by default.
-///   * `monochrome` - Instructs renderer to use 1-bit monochrome rendering.
-///     This option doesn't impact the hinter. Enabled by default.
+///   * `force-autohint` - Use the freetype auto-hinter rather than the
+///     font's native hinter. Enabled by default.
+///   * `monochrome` - Instructs renderer to use 1-bit monochrome
+///     rendering. This option doesn't impact the hinter.
+///     Enabled by default.
 ///   * `autohint` - Use the freetype auto-hinter. Enabled by default.
 ///
 /// Example: `hinting`, `no-hinting`, `force-autohint`, `no-force-autohint`
@@ -4587,10 +4590,12 @@ pub const GraphemeWidthMethod = enum {
 
 /// See freetype-load-flag
 pub const FreetypeLoadFlags = packed struct {
+    // The defaults here at the time of writing this match the defaults
+    // for Freetype itself. Ghostty hasn't made any opinionated changes
+    // to these defaults.
     hinting: bool = true,
-    bitmap: bool = true,
-    @"force-autohint": bool = false,
-    monochrome: bool = false,
+    @"force-autohint": bool = true,
+    monochrome: bool = true,
     autohint: bool = true,
 };
 
diff --git a/src/font/SharedGridSet.zig b/src/font/SharedGridSet.zig
index 72bca7277..ac2fcbf8a 100644
--- a/src/font/SharedGridSet.zig
+++ b/src/font/SharedGridSet.zig
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ fn collection(
         .library = self.font_lib,
         .size = size,
         .metric_modifiers = key.metric_modifiers,
-        .freetype_load_flags = config.@"freetype-load-flags",
+        .freetype_load_flags = key.freetype_load_flags,
     };
 
     var c = Collection.init();
@@ -463,7 +463,7 @@ pub const DerivedConfig = struct {
             .@"adjust-strikethrough-position" = config.@"adjust-strikethrough-position",
             .@"adjust-strikethrough-thickness" = config.@"adjust-strikethrough-thickness",
             .@"adjust-cursor-thickness" = config.@"adjust-cursor-thickness",
-            .@"freetype-load-flags" = if (comptime font.options.backend.hasFreetype()) config.@"freetype-load-flags" else {},
+            .@"freetype-load-flags" = if (font.face.FreetypeLoadFlags != void) config.@"freetype-load-flags" else {},
 
             // This must be last so the arena contains all our allocations
             // from above since Zig does assignment in order.
@@ -503,7 +503,9 @@ pub const Key = struct {
     /// font grid.
     font_size: DesiredSize = .{ .points = 12 },
 
-    load_flags: font.face.FreetypeLoadFlags = font.face.freetype_load_flags_default,
+    /// The freetype load flags configuration, only non-void if the
+    /// freetype backend is enabled.
+    freetype_load_flags: font.face.FreetypeLoadFlags = font.face.freetype_load_flags_default,
 
     const style_offsets_len = std.enums.directEnumArrayLen(Style, 0);
     const StyleOffsets = [style_offsets_len]usize;
@@ -623,7 +625,10 @@ pub const Key = struct {
             .codepoint_map = codepoint_map,
             .metric_modifiers = metric_modifiers,
             .font_size = font_size,
-            .load_flags = config.@"freetype-load-flags",
+            .freetype_load_flags = if (font.face.FreetypeLoadFlags != void)
+                config.@"freetype-load-flags"
+            else
+                font.face.freetype_load_flags_default,
         };
     }
 
@@ -653,7 +658,7 @@ pub const Key = struct {
         for (self.descriptors) |d| d.hash(hasher);
         self.codepoint_map.hash(hasher);
         autoHash(hasher, self.metric_modifiers.count());
-        autoHash(hasher, self.load_flags);
+        autoHash(hasher, self.freetype_load_flags);
         if (self.metric_modifiers.count() > 0) {
             inline for (@typeInfo(Metrics.Key).Enum.fields) |field| {
                 const key = @field(Metrics.Key, field.name);
diff --git a/src/font/face.zig b/src/font/face.zig
index 7b51d660c..9f80c5637 100644
--- a/src/font/face.zig
+++ b/src/font/face.zig
@@ -27,8 +27,13 @@ pub const Face = switch (options.backend) {
 /// using whatever platform method you can.
 pub const default_dpi = if (builtin.os.tag == .macos) 72 else 96;
 
-pub const FreetypeLoadFlags = if (options.backend.hasFreetype()) config.Config.FreetypeLoadFlags else void;
-pub const freetype_load_flags_default = if (options.backend.hasFreetype()) .{} else {};
+/// These are the flags to customize how freetype loads fonts. This is
+/// only non-void if the freetype backend is enabled.
+pub const FreetypeLoadFlags = if (options.backend.hasFreetype())
+    config.FreetypeLoadFlags
+else
+    void;
+pub const freetype_load_flags_default = if (FreetypeLoadFlags != void) .{} else {};
 
 /// Options for initializing a font face.
 pub const Options = struct {
diff --git a/src/font/face/freetype.zig b/src/font/face/freetype.zig
index 8a1465d7e..683f80cc8 100644
--- a/src/font/face/freetype.zig
+++ b/src/font/face/freetype.zig
@@ -23,6 +23,11 @@ const config = @import("../../config.zig");
 const log = std.log.scoped(.font_face);
 
 pub const Face = struct {
+    comptime {
+        // If we have the freetype backend, we should have load flags.
+        assert(font.face.FreetypeLoadFlags != void);
+    }
+
     /// Our freetype library
     lib: freetype.Library,
 
@@ -323,7 +328,7 @@ pub const Face = struct {
             //
             // This must be enabled for color faces though because those are
             // often colored bitmaps, which we support.
-            .no_bitmap = !self.face.hasColor() or !self.load_flags.bitmap,
+            .no_bitmap = !self.face.hasColor(),
 
             // use options from config
             .no_hinting = !self.load_flags.hinting,