How can I install fonts on my PC or Mac?

Want to make your documents, presentations and birthday cards stand out from the crowd? Well, there are now thousands of free fonts clogging up the internet – so it’s never been easier to make your CV look like it was written by Bilbo Baggins or use the “Death to Metal” font in a thank you note to your granny. Here’s how to install fonts on your PC or Mac.

How to install fonts: Where can I get them?

Before we delve into the phenomenally simple process of installing fonts on your PC or Mac, you have to track down one you actually want to download. Unfortunately, certain websites promise attractive gothic scripts and elegant handwritten typefaces, but will infest your machine with malware instead.

I’d recommend visiting DaFont, which is a reliably good archive – although that doesn’t mean that all of the fonts are worth installing. At the time of writing, there were 34,166 typefaces to choose from, covering everything from graffiti tags to traditional Irish script and corporate logos.However, always make sure to check if the font is free for personal use and read the notes from the font’s creator. Unusually for the internet, most DaFont users are very reasonable and friendly: for example, the “Little Bird” font in the screenshot above is free for to use at home and only $35 for commercial use, while “Zengo” is €11.15.

How to install fonts: Windows

Installing a font on a Windows 10 PC is hazardous, draining ordeal that involves… four clicks of the mouse. Once you’ve downloaded a font, open the ZIP file by double-clicking on it. Then right-click on the font file – this will be either TrueType (.ttf) or OpenType (.otf) – and select Install. Job done.

If you want a slightly more complicated method, type “Fonts” into the desktop search bar and click on Fonts (Control Panel). Then drag and drop, or copy and paste, the font file into the Font Manager window that appears.

How to install fonts: Mac

Installing new fonts on your Mac is similarly straightforward. After the download has finished, double-click on the ZIP file to open it. Then double-click on the font file itself to generate the following preview.

Click “Install Font” to complete the process. Note that you may have to close and reopen software such as Microsoft Word and Adobe InDesign to use your new font.

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