How to Install a Font on a Mac

Last Updated: March 18, 2021

Don't you just hate it when you find the best font and you don't know how to install it? Fonts can make or break a piece of writing, reminding us always that presentation matters. Still, installing fonts is pretty easy. To install fonts on a Mac, read on.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using Font Book (Recommended)

1
Download fonts using a search engine. Open a web browser and search for "free fonts." Browse the list of free fonts and choose any fonts or font packages that you'd like to download.
2
Unzip or extract the fonts from their ZIP files. Once you've unzipped the fonts, they should appear as .ttf files, which stands for "true type fonts."

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3
Double click on the font you want to install, and then press the "install" button when the font pops up in the program Font Book.
4
Install any other versions of the fonts, such as bold or italic, using the same process. If the bolded or italic version of the font needs to be installed as well, use the same method as described above.
5
Restart your computer if the fonts do not automatically appear, ready to be used.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Manually Installing

1
Download fonts using a search engine. Search for free, downloadable fonts or purchase fonts online.
2
Unzip or extract the fonts in ZIP form. Once unzipped, the fonts should appear as .ttf files.
3
Drag the font file(s). Depending on what operating system you're using, drag the font accordingly:
- Mac OS 9.x or 8.x: drag the files into the System Folder.
- Mac OS X: drag the files into the Fonts folder in Library.
4
Restart your computer if the fonts do not automatically appear, ready to be used.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I safely delete the zip files and folders (from opening the zip file) after installing the fonts or do I have to keep them somewhere?

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Community Answer

You can delete them, the system has it now. Unless you reset your system then it will be gone.