On Windows and macOS you install a font by double-clicking the font file (.ttf or .otf) and clicking "Install" in the preview window. If the font comes in a ZIP archive, extract it first. The font then shows up in Word, Photoshop and every other app, sometimes only after you restart the app.
Get the font from a trusted source, such as Google Fonts or the type foundry itself. Check the license if you use the font for client work.
Fonts usually come as a ZIP archive. On Windows, right-click it and choose "Extract All"; on a Mac, a double-click is enough.
Double-click the .ttf or .otf file. A preview window opens, on a Mac in the Font Book app.
Click "Install". If the font doesn't show up in your app afterwards, close the app and open it again.
Windows offers three ways, all with the same result:
"Install" adds the font only to your user account, in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Fonts. "Install for all users" copies it to C:\Windows\Fonts and needs administrator rights. You need that when an app runs with administrator rights, or when an older app doesn't find the font otherwise.
On a Mac, the Font Book app takes care of installing:
New fonts go into your user folder at ~/Library/Fonts by default. In Font Book's settings you can have them installed for all users of the Mac instead.
Fonts can't be installed reliably from inside a ZIP archive, so extract it first. Many archives keep the files in subfolders, often split into OTF and TTF. Install only one of the two, otherwise the same font appears twice in the list and apps may pick the wrong one.
Both formats work on Windows and macOS, and both can contain OpenType features such as ligatures or alternate characters. They mainly differ in how the letter shapes are stored. If a foundry offers both, OTF is usually the better pick for design and print apps, TTF for Office and older apps.
WOFF and WOFF2 are compressed web fonts for websites. Desktop apps need TTF or OTF.
With the free typest.app font manager there's nothing to extract: drag the ZIP into the window, see every font inside in a live preview with your own text and install only the ones you need. Google Fonts install straight from the catalog, and "Installed" lists every font on your computer so you can remove old ones in one click.
Fonts installed system-wide are in C:\Windows\Fonts. Fonts installed only for your user account are in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Fonts.
Yes. On Windows, select all the font files, right-click them and choose "Install". On a Mac, drag all the files into Font Book at once. In the typest.app font manager, select the fonts and click "Install selected".
No, as long as you install the font only for your user account. Only installing for all users needs administrator rights.
Restarting the app usually fixes it. More causes and fixes are in the guide "Font not showing up".
