How to Install Fonts on Windows and Mac (Step by Step)

You have just downloaded a new font. There is a ZIP file in your Downloads folder and you want to see it in Photoshop or Canva right now. Here is how to install fonts on both Windows and Mac, and what to do when a font refuses to appear.

Step 1: unzip the download

Fonts are delivered as a ZIP file. You cannot install a font from inside the ZIP.

• Windows: right-click the ZIP and choose Extract All.
• Mac: double-click the ZIP and it unpacks into a folder next to it.

Inside you will usually find OTF, TTF, WOFF and WOFF2 files. For desktop use, install the OTF files. If you are not sure why, our guide on OTF vs TTF vs WOFF2 explains it in two minutes.

How to install fonts on Windows

1. Open the unzipped folder.
2. Select the OTF files you want (select all styles to get the full family).
3. Right-click and choose Install. If you use several user accounts, choose Install for all users.
4. Restart any open design app.

Alternatively, open Settings → Personalisation → Fonts and drag the files into the "Add fonts" area.

How to install fonts on Mac

1. Open the unzipped folder.
2. Double-click an OTF file. Font Book opens with a preview.
3. Click Install.
4. To install a whole family at once, select all the OTF files and drag them into Font Book.
5. Restart your design apps.

Font Book may show a validation warning for some fonts. Minor warnings are usually harmless; if you are worried, install the TTF version instead.

Using your new font in popular apps

Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma desktop and Affinity

These apps read fonts installed on your computer. After a restart, type the font name in the font menu. To use alternates and ligatures, open the Glyphs panel (Adobe and Affinity) or the type details panel in Figma.

Canva

Canva runs in the browser and does not read your computer's fonts. With a Canva Pro or Teams account, use Brand Kit → Upload a font and upload the OTF or TTF. Check that your licence allows this kind of use.

Word, PowerPoint and Google Docs

Word and PowerPoint use installed fonts after a restart. Google Docs only offers Google's own font library, so custom fonts will not appear there.

Fixing fonts that do not show up

• Restart the app, and if that does not help, restart the computer.
• Check you installed the right file. WOFF and WOFF2 are web formats and should not be installed for design use.
• Remove duplicates. If you installed both OTF and TTF of the same font, uninstall one.
• Look for the family name. Some fonts appear under the family name with styles in a second menu, rather than "Font Name Bold" as a separate entry.
• Clear the font cache in Adobe apps by quitting the app, deleting its font cache folder and reopening (Adobe's help pages show the exact folder for your system).

Want to use the font on your website?

Installing a font on your computer does not put it on your website. For that you upload the WOFF2 file to your site. We have step-by-step guides for adding custom fonts to Shopify and adding custom fonts in WordPress and Elementor.

How to uninstall a font

On Windows, open Settings → Personalisation → Fonts, click the font and choose Uninstall. On Mac, open Font Book, select the font and press Delete (or right-click and choose Remove). Uninstall old versions before installing an updated version of the same font, so your apps do not show duplicates.

Keep your fonts organised

Make a folder called "Fonts I own" and keep every original ZIP and its licence inside, named with the shop and date. If you ever reinstall your computer, or a client asks where a font came from, you will have everything in one place.

Looking for something new to install? Browse our font collection. Every download includes the installable desktop files and a clear licence.