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Installing Fonts on macOS

Use Font Book to install TTF and OTF fonts on a Mac, and learn the difference between user and computer libraries.

Last updated January 15, 2026

macOS manages fonts through a built in app called Font Book. It handles TrueType and OpenType files and can validate a font before you install it.

Install with Font Book

  1. Unzip the download if the font arrived as a .zip archive.
  2. Double click the .ttf or .otf file. Font Book opens and shows a preview.
  3. Click Install Font at the bottom of the preview window.
  4. Open any app such as Pages, Figma or Photoshop and find the font in the font list.

User library versus computer library

By default a font installs to your user library, so only your account can use it. To share a font with every account on the Mac, open Font Book, go to its settings, and set the default install location to Computer before installing.

Validate before you install

Font Book can check a file for problems. Open Font Book, choose File then Validate File, and select the font. This is useful if an app crashes or text renders incorrectly after an install.

Removing or disabling a font

In Font Book, right click any family and choose Disable to hide it without deleting, or Remove to delete it. Disabling keeps the file in case you need it again later.

License terms vary from one font to another. Always review the license included with a specific font before using it, especially for commercial work.

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