You’ve got a big project coming up. No matter what font type you choose to do your report in, you can’t find one that gets your point across. You may have better luck using custom fonts from the internet.
There are countless types of fonts that are available for download. One of them is sure to add the personal touch to your document that you want.
The problem is adding them to Microsoft Word after you install them. It can be a real pain. That’s why we’re here to walk you through the process.
Follow along with this guide to add your new favorite font to your Microsoft Word document.
Windows Computer
Installing the best fonts is going to look a little different depending on if you’re on a Windows computer or Mac. Since Windows is the more common operating system, we’ll go over how to make fonts work on those PCs first.
Locate Your Font
First, we’re going to go to the font manager. To do this, you’re going to click start and head to your control panel. There you’ll see a font option.
Click on it, and your computer will take you to the font menu. Pick out the font that you want and download it. When the download is finished, you’ll see it on your desktop.
You’ll know it’s the right file if it ends in TTF or OTF. There’s a chance that the font will save itself into a folder. If this is the case, you’ll have to extract it.
Adding the Font to Word
Now that you’ve downloaded your font and found it on your desktop, you can add it to Microsoft word. Go back to the fonts menu in your control panel.
Drag the font over, and you’re set to go. The font will be installed to Microsoft Office without much more input from you.
Manual Install
There is a chance that something will go wrong when you try to download your font of choice. If this is the case, you’ll have to install it manually.
It’s a mild annoyance, but nothing that you can’t do in a few minutes. When you right-click on the file for your font, you’ll see an install option. Selecting that should do the trick.
Mac
Installing a font looks a lot different if you’re working on a Mac. Well, we say that it’s a lot different, but it looks mostly the same. The main thing that sets custom fonts apart on Mac is that you’ll have to download a third-party program.
Install Font Book
Like with Windows computers, you have to download a font before you can use it in MS Word for Mac. You won’t be able to do this unless you install a font manager first. Most people use Font Book.
Download the Font
Now that you have your manager program downloaded, you can look for the font that you want to install. When you find it, open it in the font preview window.
At the bottom of this window, you’ll see an install option. Click on that to both download the font of your choice to your device and send it off to Font Book.
Add the Font to the Windows Office Compatible Field
When you open Font Book again, you’ll see the font that you just installed. You’re going to move it to the Windows Office Compatible field located on the left of the program.
After you add it, you’ll have to restart your Mac for it to take effect. When your device turns on again, open Microsoft Office. You should be able to find the font by typing in the search bar in the font menu.
Adding Fonts to MS Word Online
Let’s say that you’re not using Microsoft Word on your device. You’re using the online application. Will you still be able to personalize a document by using a custom font?
The answer is yes. In fact, it’s actually pretty simple to accomplish.
Install the Font
The first step is to download the font that you want to use to your computer. Don’t worry, you won’t have to do anything complicated with your control panel this time or download a third-party program.
The only instruction that we have for you is to not install the font while you have Word open. If you do, it’s not going to work.
Open the Program and Search for the Font
Open the program in your web browser like you normally would. To use the font, go to the font tab in the top toolbar. You should see a box that shows you the name of the one that you’re using right now.
Type in the name of the one that you installed. Strike your enter key to apply the font to your entire document or a small section.
Keep in mind that the font will only apply to your current document. You’ll have to go through the trouble of searching for it again if you want to use it for future projects.
Use All the Custom Fonts You Want
Using custom fonts is a great way to spice up writing a document. The problem is getting the new fonts to work with the program. As you can see, it works a little differently depending on what kind of operating system you’re using.
The process on both systems seems a bit complicated, but if you follow the directions we’ve given you, you’ll realize it’s not as hard as it seems.
For more tips that will help you add a little something extra to all your Word-related projects, visit the Technology section of our blog.
