Install Fonts on Your PC

Found a new font online that you want to use? Installing a font in Windows is a very straightforward process, and it's the same no matter which version of Windows you use. You can have a new font installed in just a few clicks.

Steps

  1. Find a reputable font site. There are countless sites that have fonts available to download, but you should try to download from reputable sources to avoid malware and viruses. A few of the more popular font sites include:
    • dafont.com
    • fontspace.com
    • fontsquirrel.com.
  2. Download the font file that you want to install. You can download fonts from a variety of different websites online. Windows supports the TTF and OTF formats for fonts.
    • Do not download any font that comes in EXE format or requires an installer to use. These are most likely vehicles for malware and other unwanted programs.
  3. Extract the font files (if necessary). Some fonts will download as a ZIP or RAR file, usually when multiple fonts are included in a single package. You'll need to extract the fonts from the ZIP or RAR file before installing them.
    • To open a ZIP file, simply double-click it and then drag the font files onto your desktop.
    • To open a RAR file, you'll first need to install a free extraction program like 7-Zip (7-zip.org) or WinRAR (rarlabs.com. After installing the program, you'll be able to double-click the archive file and then drag the font files to your desktop.
  4. Open the Control Panel. The Control Panel will allow you to install new fonts. The font installation process is the same for all versions of Windows.
    • Windows 7 and older - Click the Start menu and select "Control Panel."
    • Windows 8 - Press ⊞ Win+X and select "Control Panel."
    • Windows 8.1 and 10 - Right-click on the Start button and select "Control Panel."
  5. Click the "View by" menu in the upper-right corner and select one of the "Icons" options. This will allow you to easily find the Fonts option.
  6. Open the "Fonts" window. Select the Fonts option in the Control Panel to open the Fonts window. This will display all of the fonts currently installed on your computer.
  7. Drag the font files into the Fonts window to install them. Make sure you drag the OTF or TTF file, not the ZIP file that they came in. OTF and TTF files should have a font icon.
  8. Enter the administrator password (if prompted). Installing fonts requires administrator access. If you're the only user of your computer, you likely won't be prompted.
  9. Use your new fonts. Once you've installed a font, you'll be able to select it in any program that allows you to choose from Windows fonts.[1]



Tips

  • When you install new fonts, remember that each font will only work with the computer you've installed it on. If you share Office documents with other people or plan to use or view your document on a different computer, the new fonts you've installed on your computer might not be displayed the same way on the other computer. Text that is formatted in a font that is not installed on a computer will be displayed in either Times New Roman or the default font.
  • To make sure that you can see the fonts on different computers, you can either install the new font on the other computers you plan to use, or, if you are using a TrueType font in Word or Microsoft PowerPoint®, you can embed the font to save the characters with your document. Embedding fonts can increase your document's file size and may not work for some commercially restricted fonts, but it is a good way to make sure that your document with new fonts will look the same on other computers.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/install-or-uninstall-fonts
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