How to install fonts

Before you start: unzip and pick a format

Fonts almost always arrive as a zip. Unzip it first. Your computer can’t install a font from inside a zip, and double-clicking the zip only opens a folder.

Inside you’ll often find the same styles in more than one format. Install the OTF or the TTF, and leave the WOFF2 alone; that one is for websites. If you’re not sure which of the first two to use, the OTF vs TTF vs WOFF2 guide explains the difference. For most people, OTF is the one to pick.

How to install fonts on Mac

Double-click the .otf or .ttf file. Font Book opens with a preview of the font. Click Install. That’s it.

To install a whole family, select every file in the folder, then drag them all into the Font Book window. Each style shows up under the family name.

By default, Font Book installs fonts for your user account only. If other people log in to the same Mac and need the font, you can change the default install location in Font Book’s settings to make fonts available to every user. Most people never need to touch this.

Apps that were already open won’t see the new font until you quit them and open them again. Closing the window isn’t enough on a Mac; quit the app properly.

How to install fonts on Windows

Right-click the .otf or .ttf file and choose Install. The font is installed for your account. If someone else uses the same computer and needs it too, choose Install for all users instead. That option needs administrator rights.

You can also open Settings, go to Personalization, then Fonts, and drag the files onto the box at the top of that page. To install a family, select all the files and drag them in together, or select them all, right-click and choose Install.

Restart any app that was open while you installed, so it picks up the new font.

How to install fonts on iPhone and iPad

iPhone and iPad don’t let you install a font file the way a computer does. Fonts get there through apps. There are two ways it happens, and which one you need depends on the app you want to use the font in.

Inside one app. Many design apps let you import a font file straight into the app, usually from the Files app. The font then works in that app and nowhere else. This is the simplest route and the one most people want.

Across apps. Some apps act as font installers. You open the font in one of them, and it adds the font to the system so other apps that support custom fonts can use it. You’ll find these fonts listed under Fonts in the Settings app. Not every app reads them, so check the app you care about first. The exact steps vary between iOS and iPadOS versions.

How to install fonts on Android

Android doesn’t have one standard way to install a font for every app. Some phone makers let you change the system font in settings, but that usually means fonts from their own store. For design work, import the font file inside the app you’re using, if that app supports custom fonts.

Adding fonts to Canva, Figma, Cricut and Procreate

Canva

Canva doesn’t use the fonts on your computer. You upload the font file to your Brand Kit, which needs a paid Canva plan. Once it’s uploaded, it appears in the font list in your designs. Check your font license allows this before you upload; some licenses treat a font uploaded to an online tool differently from one on your computer.

Figma

The Figma desktop app uses the fonts installed on your computer, so install the font as normal and restart Figma. In the browser, Figma needs its font installer to see your local fonts.

Cricut Design Space

Design Space uses the fonts installed on your computer. Install the font, then close and reopen Design Space. Look under the System fonts filter in the font menu.

Procreate

Procreate imports fonts itself. Add some text, open the font menu, and choose Import Font. Pick the .otf or .ttf from Files. You can also drag a font file onto your canvas.

How to uninstall a font

On a Mac, open Font Book, select the font and remove it. On Windows, open Settings, then Personalization, then Fonts, click the font and choose Uninstall. On a phone, remove it inside the app you imported it into, or delete the app that installed it.

Font not showing up? Try these

• Restart the app. This fixes most cases. Quit it fully, then open it again.
• Check you installed the font, not the zip. Unzip the download and install the files inside.
• Remove duplicates. If you installed both the OTF and the TTF, or an older version is still there, apps can get confused. Uninstall the extras and keep one.
• Look under the family name. Styles like Bold or Light often sit inside the family in the font menu rather than as separate entries.
• Restart the computer. Your system keeps a cache of fonts, and sometimes it holds on to an old list. A restart usually clears it.
• Download it again. If the font won’t open or Font Book reports a problem, the file may be damaged. Get a fresh copy from where you bought it.
• Check the format. A .woff2 file won’t install on a computer at all. Use the .otf or .ttf.

Installing fonts from Letterhead

Fonts from the Letterhead shop come with every style in OTF, TTF and WOFF2. Install the OTF or TTF on your computer. A Desktop license covers 1, 3 or 5 computers, so install it on as many as yours allows; the font licenses guide explains how that counting works.

Fonts you make in the editor install the same way. On the Free plan you download an OTF for personal use. If you want a font nobody else has, start with how to make your own font.