How to install fonts on Windows and Mac (step by step)

You have downloaded a font, and now you want to use it in Word, Photoshop, Canva's desktop app or any other program. Installing a font takes less than a minute, but the steps depend on your computer and the type of file you got. This guide covers Windows and Mac, and the most common problems.

Step 1: Unzip the download

Most fonts arrive in a ZIP file. A ZIP is a folder in disguise, and your programs cannot use fonts that are still inside it. Right-click the ZIP and choose Extract All on Windows, or double-click it on a Mac. Inside you will find one or more font files, usually ending in .ttf or .otf, and often a license text file. Keep the license file somewhere safe.

Installing on Windows 10 and 11

The quick way

1. Right-click the font file (.ttf or .otf).
2. Choose Install, or Install for all users if other people use the computer.
3. Wait a few seconds. There is no confirmation message in most versions.

You can select several font files at once, right-click and install them together.

The Settings way

Open Settings, then Personalization, then Fonts, and drag the font files into the box that says "Drag and drop to install". You can also see and remove your installed fonts on that same screen.

Installing on a Mac

1. Double-click the font file. A preview window called Font Book opens.
2. Click Install Font.
3. Font Book may show a warning icon if it finds a problem. Check the font in the preview before you continue.

Fonts installed this way are available to your user account. To make a font available to everyone on the Mac, change the install location in Font Book's settings.

Installing on phones and tablets

Phones are more limited. On an iPhone or iPad, fonts are installed through apps or configuration profiles, not by tapping a file. Android lets some apps import font files directly. For quick text styling on a phone, a design app that supports custom fonts, or one of our browser tools, is usually easier.

Which file should I install?

If a download has both TTF and OTF versions of the same font, install only one of them. Having both can cause confusing duplicates in your font menu. OTF files often contain more features such as ligatures, while TTF files are the most widely compatible. WOFF and WOFF2 files are for websites and cannot be installed on a computer. Our guide to TTF, OTF and WOFF2 explains the differences.

The font does not show up. What now?

• Restart the program. Programs read the font list when they start, so close and reopen Word, Photoshop or your design tool. If that fails, sign out of your computer and back in.
• Check you installed the right file. A .zip, .txt or .pdf cannot be installed.
• Look for it under a slightly different name. Some fonts list under the family name (for example "Pirata One"), and others show the style name too.
• Remove duplicates. If an older version of the same font is installed, remove it before installing the new one.
• Check your web or cloud tool. Browser-based tools such as Google Docs cannot use fonts installed on your own computer. They need the fonts you upload to them or that they provide.

Uninstalling a font

On Windows, go to Settings, Personalization, Fonts, select the font and choose Uninstall. On a Mac, open Font Book, right-click the font and choose Remove. Removing a font does not delete your documents, but text that used it will switch to another font until you install it again.

Remember the license

Installing a font is easy, but using it correctly depends on its license. Before using a font for a logo, a product or client work, read the license in the download. Our guide to commercial use of free fonts explains what to look for.