How To Add Fonts to Photoshop

Used by both amateurs and professionals, Adobe Photoshop is one of the best image manipulation software programs across the globe.
One of the most popular features of this program is adding text to pictures and photos, which you can do in a wide variety of fonts besides those already present on your computer.
This article is a step-by-step guide on how to add fonts to Photoshop, be it on Windows or Mac.

Adding Fonts to Photoshop on Windows (All Versions)

Step 1: Download your Prefered Fonts from the Internet

To download new fonts, you can simply search for “free fonts” online, then just click on “download” to have the ones you like transferred to your computer.
There’s no shortage of options either, as you’ll find hundreds of sites offering fonts online. Most of the time, the first page of your search will show a lot of safe options.
The easiest place to save all your downloaded fonts is in a folder on your desktop for quick access. But this isn’t very important and you can save the font anywhere you want as long as you know which folder has the downloaded fonts.
Alternatively, you have the option to buy CDs of fonts from any computer store.
If you decide to use fonts from a CD, extract and save them to the ‘Fonts’ folder in the ‘Control Panel’. Otherwise, they won't be available to use in Photoshop.

Step 2: Open a Window to Extract and View the Fonts

You can install fonts on any Windows version, even if you’re using an outdated version, such as Windows XP, that’s no longer supported or receives updates.
If the fonts are in a zip file, right-click on one of the files and choose extract. Then find the font itself in the extracted folder by looking at the extensions (the “.” after the file’s name).
Photoshop fonts usually come with the extensions below:
  • .otf
  • .ttf
  • .pbf
  • .pfm

Step 3: Install the New Font

To install the new font, right-click on the font and choose “Install”. If you can see this option available, then you’re done and everything will be installed. You can also Ctr-Click or Shift-Click to select and install more than one fone at the same time.
However, if you can’t find the “install” option, you’ll have to use the Control Panel to add your new fonts. Some PCs just won’t allow the straightforward install, but luckily, it’s still easy to add a new font via Control Panel, and here’s how:
1. Click on the Start Menu, then click on ‘Control Panel’.
2. Click on ‘Appearance and Personalization’ (skip this step in Windows XP).
3. Click on ‘Fonts’.
4. Right-click on the list of fonts and choose ‘Install New Font’. (In Windows XP, you’ll find this under ‘File’).
5. Select the fonts you want and click ‘OK’ once done.

Adding Fonts on Mac OS

Step 1: Download your Prefered Fonts from the Internet

To find and download new fonts, simply search online for “free (or paid) photoshop fonts for Mac”. This should bring plenty of options that you can easily download and add.
The most convenient place to save all your downloaded fonts is in a folder on your desktop for quick access. But this isn’t very important and you can save the font anywhere you want as long as you know which folder has the downloaded fonts.

Step 2: Close All Active Applications

Close all active applications, especially ones that use fonts. Since most applications have font support and this means they’ll be checking your Mac for fonts to use, it’s better to install the fonts before the programs go looking for them to avoid errors while installing.
You can resume working with them after the installation is complete.

Step 3: View the Font File in Font Book

To bring up Font Book, double-click on the actual font. The fonts may be present in a zip folder, which you’ll need to double-click to open first.
From this point, just double-click on the actual font with the proper extension (the “.” after the file’s name) to open it in your Font Book. In Mac, fonts have the extensions below:
  • .ttf
  • .otf

Step 4: Install the New Font

When the font appears in Font Book, click ‘Install Font’. Your new .ttf or .otf file should show up in Font Book.
Next, simply click ‘Install Font’ in the lower-left corner to add the new font to your Mac. Photoshop will find it after that and handle the rest.
Alternatively, you can place the fonts manually by navigating to your font libraries in Finder. There are two places that you can put your fonts in, and both of them are very easy to find.
You can even type in the following string directly into the search bar, substituting <username> with your own username. Find one of the two locations below (use the first one if you have Administrative Privileges, but both will work):
  • /Library/Fonts/
  • /Users/<username>/Library/Fonts/
After finding one of the locations, just click and drag the new fonts into the folder for activation. Once they're in, you're all set. Re-open Photoshop and start using your new fonts.

Adding Fonts to Photoshop — FAQs

Why won't my font work in Photoshop?

When you’re adding the fonts, you should make sure that Photoshop isn’t running in the background. Also, not all fonts support Photoshop, so you may need to do a bit of experimenting to see which ones work and which don't. Look for True Type or Open Type fonts as these are most likely to work.

Where do you download fonts from?

There are hundreds of websites that offer free fonts online. Simply search for “free Photoshop fonts” using your favorite search engine and look for the ones you like. They’ll come with a download button close by.

Is there any way to install a font file without having administrative privileges?

No, as the process requires access to the Control Panel and other system settings. To have full access to these, you need admin privileges.
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