Learning how to add fonts to Photoshop is as easy as downloading a file, and it will allow you to drastically expand your creative possibilities. Although Adobe’s industry-leading software comes with plenty of fonts as a part of the Creative Cloud, there are thousands more on the web that can add unique style to your designs. Both free and paid.
Below, we’ve outlined how to add fonts to Photoshop for both Windows and OS X users.
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Using Windows
- First, do an online search for font libraries and see what you find. There are hundreds of sites with free fonts for download, which is probably a good place to start when you’re learning how to install them on your computer. Just search for “download free fonts” and explore the first few results on the list. We have curated 101 of the best free fonts in the internet, check those out as well!
- Once you’ve found an appealing font library, we recommend downloading it to the Desktop to keep things simple. In most cases, the font files will be in a .zip format, so you’ll need to unzip them first before installation. Just right-click on the file and choose “Extract”. Then, locate the font files (Photoshop accepts fonts with the extensions .ttf, .otf, .pfm, and .pbf).
- On newer versions of Windows, the font installation process couldn’t be simpler. Just right-click on the font file, select “Install”, and Windows will copy your font into Photoshop.
However, if you don’t see an “Install” option, you’ll need to manually copy the file into the appropriate folder. Just click on the Start button, select the Control Panel, and then “Appearance and Personalization” (XP users can skip this step). Click on “Fonts”, and then right-click on the list to find the “Install New Font” option. Locate your new fonts, click OK, and you’re done!
Using OS X
- Just like on Windows, you can find hundreds of free font packs online for Mac. Just search for “download free fonts mac” to see what’s available. We recommend saving them to the Desktop so that they’re easy to locate, and then closing out any active applications. Once they are installed you can delete them-you will no longer need the file on your Desktop.
- Double-clicking on a font file (they usually have the extension .otf or .ttf) will launch Apple’s Font Book. There should be an “Install Font” button near the bottom left of the program, so just click on that and Photoshop will sync with your new fonts automatically.
- However, if you’re installing dozens of fonts at the same time, it might be easier to paste them manually into the Font folder. Navigate to the “Fonts” folder in your Library, and then drag your new fonts in. When you reboot Photoshop, they should be visible.
Cover image via ESB Professional.
More designer-curated lists of free fonts on the web:
- Get These 20 Free Script Fonts to Make Elegant Designs
- 7 Free Bauhaus-Inspired Fonts and Design Assets
- Free Handwriting Fonts for Your Next Project
- 12 High-Quality and Far-Out Free Psychedelic Fonts
