Most applications (such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) include fonts that are automatically installed when you install the software. For example, applications that are created especially for document design projects, such as Microsoft Publisher, often come with quite a few extra fonts that you can use with any other program on your computer.
However, sometimes you may want to install custom fonts that you've created, purchased or downloaded from somewhere else. In this article we'll talk about how to install those fonts so you can use them in Microsoft Office.
Note: To embed fonts in a Microsoft Office Word document or PowerPoint presentation, see Embedding fonts on the PPTools site.
Locate custom fonts on the Web
In addition to acquiring and using fonts installed with other applications, you can download fonts from the Internet. Some fonts on the Internet are sold commercially, some are distributed as shareware, and some are free. The Microsoft Typography site site provides links to other font foundries (the companies or individuals outside of Microsoft who create and distribute fonts) where you can find additional fonts.
After you find a font that you would like to use with an Office application, you can download it and install it through the operating system that you are currently using on your computer. Because fonts work with the operating system, they are not downloaded to Office directly. You should go through the system's Fonts folder in Windows Control Panel and the font will work with Office automatically. On the Mac you use the Font Book to add the font and then copy it to the Windows Office Compatible folder.
Many third parties outside of Microsoft package their fonts in .zip files to reduce file size and to make downloading faster. If you have downloaded a font that is saved in .zip format double-click the zip file to open it.
Install a custom font you have downloaded
Once you've downloaded the font you want to install you need to install it in the operating system. Once the font is properly installed in the operating system Microsoft Office will be able to see and use it. For detailed instructions select the operating system you're using from the drop-down box below.
Find the font file that you downloaded, keeping in mind that it may be contained within a .zip file. It's probably located in your downloads folder.
Double-click the font file to open it in the Font Previewer
If you're satisfied that this is the font you want, click Install at the top left.
Close the Font Previewer, and open your Office program. You should now see your new font included on the font list.
Find the font file you downloaded - it likely has a .ttf or .otf extension and it's probably in your downloads folder. Double-click on it.
Note: If the font file has a .zip extension you need to open that .zip file and open the font file from there.
It will open in the font previewer. Click Install Font. It will open in the Font Book. Wii menu music mp3 download.
Close the Font Book. Your font should now be available to Microsoft Office.
Note: If you're using Office 2011 for Mac, you may need to drag and drop the font to the Windows Office Compatible collection in the Font Book to make it available to Microsoft Office.
Sharing files that contain non-standard fonts
When you install a custom font, each font will work only with the computer you've installed it on. Custom fonts that you've installed on your computer might not display the same way on a different computer. Text that is formatted in a font that is not installed on a computer will display in Times New Roman or the default font.
Therefore, if you plan to share Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint, or Excel files with other people, you'll want to know which fonts are native to the version of Office that the recipient is using. If it isn't native, you may have to embed or distribute the font along with the Word file, PowerPoint presentation, or Excel spreadsheet. For more information about this see Fonts that are installed with Microsoft Office.
See also
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Photoshop may have “photo” in its name, but it is designed for all manner creative possibilities, including working with text. It’s also expandable, not limited to the fonts that come pre-installed or are already on your computer. This is good news, because those stock fonts aren’t good enough for you, are they? Of course not. You need a font that stands out because you have a message that needs to stand out, and Times New Roman won’t cut it. Fortunately, adding a font to Photoshop is easy, but there are a couple of ways to do it, which vary slightly depending on your operating system.
Using Typekit to add Fonts to Photoshop
Adobe Typekit is a font library for Creative Cloud that includes both free and paid options. The nice thing about using Typekit is that the font automatically syncs to all your Creative Cloud programs across all of your computers, and fonts can also be synced to your system to be used by non-Adobe programs.
1. Access Typekit
First, make sure you are connected to the internet to use Typekit. Then, from inside Photoshop’s menu bar, navigate to Type > Add Fonts From Typekit. (Another alternative is to click on Add Fonts From Typekit at the top of the font drop-down menu.) Typekit will then open inside a web browser.
2. Find your font
Using the Typekit search and navigation, find a font you like. When you head to Typekit directly from the Photoshop app, you’re automatically taken to the page that includes fonts that are part of your Creative Cloud subscription — you’ll see “My Library” selected at the top of the page. Use the filter tools at the right to help find a font you like.
You can navigate outside My Library to the Full Library and Marketplace, but the fonts located in these spots aren’t all included with the Creative Cloud plan and will require additional purchases. If you’re looking for free fonts, stay inside the My Library option.
3. Open the font and sync.
Once you’ve found a font you like, open the font page to see all the varieties. To download the entire font family, and click the “sync all” button all the top. If you only want one font in the family, just click the green sync button next to the name of the individual font.
4. Wait for the sync to finish
Typekit will automatically sync to your Creative Cloud apps. Make sure your Creative Cloud app (not just Photoshop, but the app that checks for updates) is open and that you are logged into your account. Wait for the sync to finish — if you’ve enabled Creative Cloud notifications, you’ll get a pop-up when the sync is completed. You can also check on the status of a font inside the Creative Cloud app by navigating to “assets” and then “fonts.”
5. Use your font
Once the font has synced, it will be available in the Photoshop font drop-down menu. You can also make it easier to find by clicking on the Typekit or Tk icon to see only the Typekit fonts. Some programs need to be restarted before accessing the font, but Photoshop isn’t one of them.
Installing a downloaded font to Photoshop
Photoshop isn’t limited to just Typekit fonts — you can download and use almost any font from any location, like Font Squirrel, which offers a large selection of free fonts. Photoshop supports fonts with a file name that ends with .otf, .ttf, .pfb, and .pfm and even variable fonts. Once you’ve downloaded the font, however, there is a process to add the font to Photoshop, and it won’t be automatically synced across your different computers. The exact steps will vary between Mac and PC systems. (Working on an older computer? Adobe has instructions for older operating systems.)
On MacOS X
1. Quit Photoshop, if it’s already running
It’s a good idea to close other active applications, too, at least those where you’ll want to use the font.
2. Find the font
By default, the font probably landed in your Downloads folder unless you changed the destination when downloading the file. Open the download folder in the Finder and locate the file. If the file was downloaded as a .zip, double-click it to decompress it.
3. Preview and install
Double-click the font file (it should end in .otf or .ttf) to open it in Font Book. Here, you can preview the font to confirm it’s what you want. Simply click the Install button and it will now be available to any application.
By default, Font Book will install fonts to a single user’s directory. If you have multiple users on your machine and want the font to be available to everyone, you can change this behavior in the Font Book preferences, by selecting “Computer” as the default install location.
Installing a font to Photoshop on a Windows PC
1. Find the font
Open the folder that you downloaded the font to and locate the font. If the font comes in a zip file, decompress the file first.
2. Select and click install
Highlight all the fonts that you want to install — you can do more than one at a time. Shift-click will select an ordered group, control-click will select fonts that aren’t right next to each other. With the fonts selected, right click and choose install.
You can now open Photoshop (or any other application) to confirm the font is installed correctly.
And that’s it!
Well look at you, titan of typefaces. You’re ready to take your DIY e-card, wedding invite, or motivational poster to the next level. But fair warning: Entering the world of aftermarket fonts can quickly turn into a long fall down a dark rabbit hole. The broad range of options available can make a designer’s dream come true, but the overwhelming number of choices means that finding the perfect font is just shy of impossible. So remember to breathe — and good luck out there.