How to Install and Add a Font in Microsoft Word

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Learn how to add custom fonts to Microsoft Word on Windows or Mac

Written by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: August 14, 2024 Fact Checked

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On Windows

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On Mac

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Accessing the Font in Word

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Q&A

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Tips

Want to use a custom font in your Microsoft Word documents? This wikiHow teaches you how to install a font on your Windows or Mac computer in order to use the font in Microsoft Word.

Quick Steps

Download a font from a website you trust.
Extract the font if it's downloaded as a ZIP file.
Right-click (Windows) or double-click (Mac) the font file.
Select Install (Windows) or Install Font (Mac).
Give administrator privileges as required.
Wait for the font to finish installing.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

On Windows

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1
Download a font from a trusted website. Fonts are a common way to transmit viruses, so take care to only download fonts from trusted sources. Avoid any fonts that come in EXE format, as fonts typically come packed into ZIP files or in TTF (TrueType Font) or OTF (OpenType Font) format. A few popular font sites include the following:
2
Extract the font file if necessary. If your font is in a ZIP folder, right-click the ZIP file and select Extract All…. Follow the instructions in the unzip wizard that pops up. If the wizard asks where you want to extract the files, select a location you can find again easily (such as your Downloads folder).
- Skip this step if the font is in TTF or OTF format, not in a ZIP folder.
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It's at the bottom of the contextual menu, and it has the Windows administrator shield icon next to the option.
4
Click Yes if prompted. Since installing a font requires administrator permissions, you may be prompted to confirm this step.^{[1]
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Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

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- If you aren't on an administrator account, you can't install a font.
This will usually only take a few seconds. Once the font is installed on your computer, it will be accessible by any programs which use system fonts, including Microsoft Word.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

On Mac

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1
Download a font from a trusted website. Fonts are a common way to transmit viruses, so take care to only download fonts from trusted sources. Avoid any fonts that come in EXE or DMG format, as fonts typically come packed into ZIP files or in TTF/OTF format. A few popular font sites include the following:
2
Extract the font file if necessary. Since most font files download in a ZIP folder, you'll need to unzip the folder by double-clicking it and waiting for the extracted folder to open. If you aren't sure how to unzip a ZIP file on Mac, check out this wikiHow article.
- Skip this step if your font downloads as a TTF or OTF file, not a ZIP folder.
Doing so will bring up a preview window.
It's at the top of the preview window. This will install your font for all text-based programs on your Mac, thus making it usable with Microsoft Word.^{[2]
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Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

Go to source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Accessing the Font in Word

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1
Open Word and click Blank document. You'll find this option in the upper-left side of the launch page. Doing so opens a new Word document.
- If Word was open when you installed your font, close the program and restart it. Your custom font won't show up until Word is restarted.
The font dropdown is in the upper-left corner of the Font section of the Home tab, directly above the buttons to bold, italicize, or underline your text.
Scroll through the drop-down menu until you find your font's name. If you don't remember your font's name, check your Downloads folder.
Click the font's name, then try typing using the font. You may need to adjust the size of the font in order for it to be legible.

Community Q&A

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Question

What can I do if my fonts don't appear in the dropdown?

Community Answer

Closing Microsoft Word and then opening it again will usually refresh the font list. If this doesn't work, try re-installing the font.

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Question

It says it does not appear to be a valid font and cannot install. What should I do?

Community Answer

Instead of copying onto the control panel, double click on the extracted font file. You will then see either an open type or a true type file, double click on this and a preview of the font will show up. On the top left area of the window, there will be a button saying install. Click that.

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Question

How do I rename the font?

Community Answer

Never rename a font while it's in the installed folder; it could get corrupted. Delete the font, and reinstall it. Before putting it into the fonts folder, right-click it, and select the option "Rename." After naming it whatever you want, put it into the fonts folder normally.

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Tips

After a font is installed, it will be available in any program that can access your computer's fonts, not just Microsoft Word.

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If you plan on sending your Word document to someone else, save it as a PDF to ensure that your custom font is retained. You can save as a PDF by clicking the "Save as type" (Windows) or "Format" (Mac) drop-down box on the "Save" window and then selecting PDF.

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