Font Book is the built-in Mac app for installing, previewing, organizing, validating, disabling, and removing fonts. Once a font is installed, most apps can use it from their font menus.
This guide applies to macOS and common font file types such as .ttf, .otf, .ttc, and .dfont.
Does This Affect You?
Use this after downloading a font and needing it to appear in Word, Pages, Photoshop, Keynote, design apps, or any app with a font picker.
Install a Font File
- Find the downloaded font. If it is inside a ZIP file, double-click the ZIP first.
- Double-click the font file.
- Font Book opens a preview.
- Click Install Font.
- Open or restart the app where you want to use it. Some apps only refresh their font list at launch.
Choose Who Can Use the Font
- Open Font Book.
- Check the sidebar for User and Computer font locations.
- User fonts are available only to your account. Computer fonts are available to every account on the Mac.
- To install for everyone, open Font Book settings and change the default install location to Computer before installing.
- Enter an administrator password if macOS asks.
Add Apple’s Built-In Downloadable Fonts
- Open Font Book.
- Look for fonts with cloud icons or fonts not yet downloaded.
- Select the font and download/install it.
- Use it like any other installed font.
Font Troubleshooting
Restart the App Fully
Quit and reopen Word, Photoshop, or another app if the new font is missing. Closing one document window is not always enough.
Validate a Font
Select the font in Font Book and choose File > Validate Font if it behaves strangely.
Resolve Duplicates
Font Book can flag duplicate fonts and offer Resolve Duplicates. This disables extra copies while keeping one active version.
Disable Instead of Delete
Disable a font if you want it out of menus temporarily without removing the file from the Mac.
Sources
- Apple Support: Add fonts to your Mac
- Apple Support: Font Book font locations on your Mac
- Apple Support: Resolve duplicate fonts on your Mac