How to Use a Downloaded Font in Word on Windows and Mac

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By Matthew Simpson

To use a downloaded font in Microsoft Word, you install the font on your computer, not in Word. Unzip the download if needed, open the .ttf or .otf file, and select Install (Windows) or Install in the Font Book dialog (Mac). Then close and reopen Word. The font shows up in the font list on the Home tab, and you can use it like any other font.

The one thing that trips people up is sharing. A font you install lives only on your computer. If you send the document to someone who doesn’t have it, Word swaps in a different font on their screen unless you embed the font in the file. This guide covers installing on Windows 11, Windows 10, and Mac, using the font, embedding it, and what to expect in Word for the web. It was checked against Microsoft’s and Apple’s support documentation in October 2026.

Contents

Before you start

A few terms first:

  • Font file: the file that holds a typeface. Word works with TrueType (.ttf) and OpenType (.otf) files. A family of fonts can also come as a TrueType or OpenType collection (.ttc).
  • Installing: copying the font into your operating system’s font library. Every app that uses system fonts, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, can then use it.
  • Embedding: saving a copy of the font inside a Word document so it displays correctly on computers that don’t have the font.

Check these before you download anything:

  • Get fonts from a source you trust. Microsoft’s own instructions say to make sure you trust the source before you download a font. Good choices are the designer’s or type foundry’s own website, a well-known font library, or the Microsoft Store (on Windows, go to Settings > Personalization > Fonts > Get more fonts in Microsoft Store).
  • A font download should contain font files. Expect .ttf, .otf, or .ttc files, sometimes inside a .zip folder. Don’t run an .exe or other program file that claims to install a font.
  • Read the license. Free fonts are often free for personal use only. If the document is for a business, a client, or anything you sell, check that the license allows commercial use. The license also controls whether the font can be embedded in a document.
  • You may need admin rights. On a work or school computer, installing fonts can be blocked or may require an administrator.

Unzip the font file

Most fonts download as a .zip folder that may hold several files, such as Regular, Bold, Italic, and Light versions of the same font.

On Windows:

  1. Open File Explorer and go to your Downloads folder.
  2. Right-click the .zip folder and select Extract All.
  3. Select Extract. A normal folder opens with the font files inside.

On a Mac:

  1. Open Finder and go to Downloads.
  2. Double-click the .zip file. macOS creates a folder with the same name next to it, with the font files inside.

If the download is already a .ttf or .otf file, skip this step.

Install the font on Windows 11 or Windows 10

These steps work the same way on Windows 11 and Windows 10. Close Word first, or plan to restart it after you install.

Method 1: Install from the font file

  1. Open the folder that holds the unzipped font files.
  2. Right-click the .ttf or .otf file. On Windows 11, if you don’t see Install in the menu, select Show more options first.
  3. Select Install to install the font for your user account only, or Install for all users to make it available to everyone who signs in to this computer.
  4. If Windows asks whether to allow the app to make changes to your device, select Yes only if you trust where the font came from. Installing for all users can require an administrator account.
  5. Repeat for each style you want (Bold, Italic, and so on). You can also select several font files at once, right-click, and install them together.

Which install option should you pick? For your own computer, Install is enough. Choose Install for all users on a shared computer, or if a font installed with plain Install doesn’t show up in an app.

You can also double-click a font file to open a preview window that shows sample text, then select Install at the top of that window.

Method 2: Use Settings or the Fonts folder

  1. Open Settings and go to Personalization > Fonts.
  2. On current versions of Windows, the top of this page has an area for adding fonts by drag and drop. Drag the font files from File Explorer onto it.
  3. Wait a moment. The new font appears in the Available fonts list, where you can search for it by name.

Microsoft also notes that fonts are stored in the C:\Windows\Fonts folder, and dragging font files into that folder installs them.

To confirm the install, go to Settings > Personalization > Fonts, type the font’s name in the search box under Available fonts, and select it to see a preview.

Install the font on a Mac

On a Mac, fonts are installed with Font Book, the font manager that comes with macOS. Word for Mac uses fonts installed this way.

  1. Quit Word.
  2. In Finder, double-click the .ttf or .otf file.
  3. A preview dialog opens. Click Install.
  4. Font Book checks the font for errors and duplicates as it installs. If it shows a warning, you can still review the details before you continue.

Other ways to install, from Apple’s Font Book guide:

  • In Font Book, choose File > Add Fonts to Current User, then select the font file.
  • Drag the font file into the Font Book window.

Fonts you add this way are available only to you or to everyone who uses the Mac, depending on the default install location in Font Book’s settings.

One Microsoft support page also mentions adding the font to Font Book’s Windows Office Compatible collection. That collection came from older versions of Office for Mac. You shouldn’t normally need it, but if a font installed in Font Book still doesn’t appear in Word after a restart, adding it to that collection is worth a try.

Use the new font in Word

  1. Open Word. If Word was open while you installed the font, quit it completely and open it again. Microsoft says the fonts you added appear in the font list the next time you start Word.
  2. Select the text you want to change, or click where you want to start typing.
  3. On the Home tab, click the font name box (it shows the current font, such as Aptos).
  4. Type the first few letters of the new font’s name, or scroll the list until you see it. Font names in the list are shown in their own style, so it’s easy to spot.
  5. Select the font. Your text changes to it right away.

Tips:

  • If you installed several styles, apply bold or italic with the Bold (Ctrl+B) and Italic (Ctrl+I) buttons. Word uses the matching style file when you’ve installed it.
  • Some fonts show up under a slightly different name than the file name. Search by the first word of the name.
  • To use the font for all new documents, set it as the default. See what the default font in Word is and how to change it.
  • The font is also available in Excel, PowerPoint, and other apps on the same computer, because it’s installed in the operating system.

Embed the font so other people see it

When you share a document, the other person’s computer needs the same font to show your text the way you see it. If it doesn’t have the font, Word shows a substitute font instead. That can change line breaks, page breaks, and the overall layout.

Embedding saves the font inside the document. Microsoft says you can embed fonts only in the Windows and Mac desktop apps, but documents with embedded fonts can be viewed on any device or platform Office supports.

Embed fonts in Word for Windows:

  1. Open the document and select File > Options.
  2. Select Save in the left column.
  3. Under Preserve fidelity when sharing this document, check Embed fonts in the file.
  4. Decide on the two extra options. Embed only the characters used in the document keeps the file smaller, but the other person may not be able to edit text in that font, so leave it unchecked if others will edit. Do not embed common system fonts skips fonts that most computers already have.
  5. Select OK, then save the document.

This setting applies to the current document. The file gets larger, sometimes by a lot for big fonts.

On a Mac: Recent versions of Word for Mac can embed fonts. Look for Embed fonts in the file in Word’s Settings (called Preferences in older versions), under the Save settings.

If embedding doesn’t work, the font’s maker may not allow it. Font makers set an embedding permission such as Editable, Installable, Preview/Print, or Non-embeddable (shown as Restricted in some places). On Windows, you can check it by searching for Fonts in the taskbar search box, opening the Fonts control panel, and selecting the font; the details at the bottom include Font embeddability. A non-embeddable (Restricted) font can’t be embedded. If the document only needs to be read, not edited, saving it as a PDF is another way to keep the look.

Cloud fonts and Word for the web

Microsoft 365 subscribers get cloud fonts: hundreds of fonts hosted by Microsoft that download when you pick them in the font list. You don’t need to install or embed these. Because they’re available to anyone using a supported version of Office, documents that use them look the same on other people’s devices. Your computer needs to be online to download them, and on Windows they rely on Office’s optional connected experiences being turned on.

So before you download a font from the web, check Word’s own font list. A Microsoft cloud font may already do the job, with no sharing problems.

Word for the web works differently from the desktop app:

  • Its font list shows Microsoft’s Office fonts and the fonts already used in the document. Microsoft doesn’t document a way to add your own font files to it.
  • You can’t embed fonts from Word for the web. Embedding is only available in the Windows and Mac desktop apps.
  • A document that already has embedded fonts displays with them.
  • If a document uses a font you don’t have, the font list can show a warning icon next to it and Word displays a replacement font without changing the font applied to the text.

If you need a downloaded font, do the work in the Word desktop app.

If the font doesn’t show up in Word

Work through these in order:

  1. Quit Word completely and reopen it. On a Mac, use Word > Quit Word, not just the close button. If that doesn’t help, restart the computer.
  2. Check that the font is installed. On Windows, search for it in Settings > Personalization > Fonts. On a Mac, search for it in Font Book.
  3. Try Install for all users on Windows if you used plain Install.
  4. Search by a different name. The family name inside the file can differ from the file name.
  5. Check the file type. Windows supports .ttf and .otf files. Older formats, such as some PostScript Type 1 fonts, may not install or may not work in Office.
  6. Ask your IT department on a managed computer. Font installs can be blocked by policy.
  7. Not every app supports every font. Microsoft notes that if a font doesn’t show in one app, you can try another app to check whether it’s installed and working.

Remove a font you no longer want

Windows: Go to Settings > Personalization > Fonts, find the font under Available fonts, open its options, and select Uninstall.

Mac: Open Font Book, select the font, and remove it. Apple’s Font Book guide has the details for your macOS version.

Documents that used a removed font will show a substitute font unless the font was embedded.

Frequently asked questions

Can I add a font directly to Word instead of my computer?

No. Microsoft’s guidance is to install the font in the operating system, and Word picks it up from there. There’s no Word menu for importing a font file.

Do I need to restart my computer after installing a font?

Usually not. Restarting Word is normally enough. Restart the computer only if the font still doesn’t appear.

Why does my document look different on someone else’s computer?

Their computer doesn’t have the font, so Word uses a substitute. Embed the font before you send the file, use a Microsoft cloud font, or send a PDF.

Can I use downloaded fonts in Word on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device?

Microsoft documents installing custom fonts only for Windows and Mac. Mobile versions of Word can use Microsoft’s cloud fonts and display fonts that are embedded in a document.

Are free fonts safe?

The font file itself is just data, but download sites can bundle unwanted programs or fake download buttons. Download only from sources you trust, make sure you end up with .ttf, .otf, or .ttc files, and scan downloads with your security software.

Can I use a downloaded font in Google Docs too?

Google Docs doesn’t use the fonts installed on your computer. See how to use downloaded fonts in Google Docs for the options there.

Next step

Install the font, restart Word, and select it from the font list on the Home tab. If the document is going to anyone else, turn on Embed fonts in the file before you send it. For a handwriting look, see how to use a signature font in Word. For Microsoft’s full instructions, see Download and install custom fonts to use with Office.

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