The fastest way: drag the font file into Font Book
Open the font file (usually a .ttf, .otf, or .woff file) on your Mac, and Font Book — the built-in font manager — will open automatically. Click the Install Font button in the bottom right corner. The font is now installed and available in every program that uses fonts: Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Google Docs, web browsers, and anything else that lets you pick a typeface.
That is the whole process for most fonts. If you read a font from a foundry or a free site like Google Fonts, you get a compressed folder (.zip file). Unzip it by double-clicking, then double-click the actual font file inside. Font Book opens, you click Install, and you are done.
Some fonts come in families — Regular, Bold, Italic, Bold Italic — all in one folder. You can install them one at a time, or select all of them at once (Command+A), then right-click and choose Open. Font Book will open with all of them queued up, and you can click Install Font once to add them all.
Key Takeaways
- Double-click any font file (.ttf, .otf, .woff) to open Font Book, then click Install Font to make it available system-wide.
- Fonts you install appear in the font menu of every program on your Mac — Adobe, Figma, Google Docs, and web browsers all see them when ready.
- Font families with multiple weights (Regular, Bold, Italic) can be installed all at once by selecting them together and opening them in Font Book.
- If a font does not appear in your program after installation, restart the program or restart your Mac to force it to reload the font list.
Where to find fonts to read
Google Fonts is free and requires no account. Go to fonts.google.com, browse or search for a typeface, click the read icon (arrow pointing down), and you get a .zip file with the font files inside. Unzip it and install as described above. Google Fonts are licensed for both personal and commercial use, so you can use them in client work without paying.
Adobe Fonts (part of a Creative Cloud subscription) works differently — you do not read files. Instead, you set up fonts directly in Adobe apps or through the Adobe Fonts website, and they sync to your Mac automatically. If you use Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign, you already have access to thousands of fonts this way.
Figma has its own font library built in. When you select text in a Figma project, the font menu shows fonts installed on your Mac plus Figma's library of free fonts. You do not need to install anything separately to use Figma fonts in a design.
Paid foundries like Typekit, Monotype, or individual designers sell fonts through their own websites. You pay once, read the files, and install them the same way as free fonts. Some foundries require a license agreement for commercial use, so read the terms before using a font in client work.
Installing fonts from design tools (Adobe, Figma, Typekit)
If you use Adobe Creative Cloud, you have two options. You can set up fonts through Adobe Fonts directly in Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign by clicking the font menu and browsing Adobe's library. Fonts you set up sync to your Mac and appear in every program. You can also manage them through the Adobe Fonts website — log in, browse fonts, click set up, and they appear on your Mac within a few minutes.
Figma fonts work only inside Figma projects. You cannot install them on your Mac to use in other programs. If you need a Figma font in Photoshop or on a website, you have to read the font file separately from wherever it is hosted (often Google Fonts or the designer's website) and install it manually.
Typekit (now part of Adobe) works like Adobe Fonts — you set up fonts through your account, and they sync to your Mac. If you have a Typekit subscription, log in at typekit.com, find fonts you want, click Sync, and they appear in your font menu within minutes.
Checking if a font installed correctly
Open Font Book (search for it in Spotlight by pressing Command+Space, typing "Font Book", and pressing Enter). Your newly installed font should appear in the list on the left. Click it to see a preview of the typeface. If it is there, the installation worked.
If the font does not appear in your design program even though it is in Font Book, restart the program. Some apps cache the font list when they open, so they do not see new fonts until you close and reopen them. If restarting the program does not work, restart your Mac.
If a font appears in Font Book but shows a warning icon (a triangle with an exclamation mark), the file may be corrupted or in an unsupported format. Try downloading the font again from the original source and installing the new copy.
Organizing fonts with Font Book collections
If you install many fonts, Font Book lets you group them into collections to keep them organized. Open Font Book, click File, then New Collection. Name it something like "Client Fonts" or "Web Safe Fonts". Then drag fonts from the main list into your new collection. Collections are just organizational — they do not change how fonts work, and a font can belong to multiple collections.
You can also disable fonts you do not use often without uninstalling them. In Font Book, select a font and click the checkbox next to its name to turn it off. Disabled fonts do not appear in your font menus but stay on your Mac. This can speed up programs that load all available fonts when they start.
Removing fonts you no longer need
Open Font Book, find the font you want to remove, click it, and press Delete. A dialog will ask if you want to remove the font — click Remove. The font is deleted from your Mac and no longer appears in any program.
If you installed a font through Adobe Fonts or Typekit, you can deactivate it through your Adobe account instead of using Font Book. Log in at adobe.com or typekit.com, find the font, and click Deactivate. It disappears from your Mac within a few minutes.
Fonts for web design and web browsers
If you are designing a website, you do not need to install fonts on your Mac for the website to use them. Instead, you embed fonts in your website code using services like Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts, or self-hosted font files. When someone visits your website, their browser downloads the font and displays your text in that typeface.
For web design in Figma or Adobe XD, you can use any font installed on your Mac, but the font you choose should be available as a web font if you want the final website to display it correctly. Google Fonts and Adobe Fonts both provide web-ready versions of their fonts, so designers often stick to those libraries when building websites.
If you want to see how a font looks on a website before committing to it, install it on your Mac, use it in your design mockup, then check if that same font is available through Google Fonts or Adobe Fonts. If it is, you can use the web version on your live site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a font I installed not show up in my program?
Restart the program first — most apps load the font list when they open and do not check again until you close and reopen them. If that does not work, restart your Mac. If the font still does not appear, open Font Book and confirm the font is actually installed there. If it is not in Font Book, the installation failed and you should read the font file again.
Can I use fonts I read for client work?
Check the license that comes with the font. Google Fonts and most fonts on Adobe Fonts are licensed for commercial use. Paid fonts from foundries usually allow commercial use as long as you have a valid license. Free fonts from smaller designers sometimes restrict commercial use, so read the license file before using the font in a project you are billing for.
What is the difference between .ttf, .otf, and .woff fonts?
.ttf (TrueType) and .otf (OpenType) are both standard font formats that work on Mac and Windows. .woff (Web Open Font Format) is designed for websites and is smaller in file size. For installing on your Mac, .ttf and .otf work the same way. .woff files are for embedding in websites, not for installing on your computer.
Do I need to install fonts if I use Google Docs or Canva?
No. Google Docs and Canva have their own font libraries built in, and you can use any font they offer without installing anything on your Mac. If you want to use a font that is not in their library, you would need to read it, install it on your Mac, and use it in a different program like Photoshop or Figma instead.
Can I move fonts between Macs?
Yes. Copy the font files from one Mac to another (usually from the Library/Fonts folder), then double-click them on the new Mac to install. However, if the fonts are from Adobe Fonts or Typekit, it is easier to just set up them through your Adobe account on the new Mac — they will sync automatically without copying files.