How to download fonts and install them in Excel

When you need to improve the looks of a spreadsheet, it’s good to know how to install a font in Excel. Fonts improve the style of documents and web pages. They can also make text more readable and give personality to your projects. There are numerous free and paid fonts available on the Internet. In this article, we’ll dive into where and how to download and install them. Whether you are using Windows or Mac. We’ll show you how to get your new font and use it in Excel.

Sources for downloading fonts for Windows or Mac

You can download both free or paid fonts from the Google Fonts website, the Microsoft Store or other websites.

Google Fonts

There are more than a thousand font families listed on Google fonts. You can search them by language, categories, and font properties. All the fonts are compatible with both Windows and Mac OS. You can even type something, and it will show how it will look in every font, which is quite handy for comparison. All the fonts are released under an open-source license and hence free for non-commercial use and most commercial uses as well.

The Microsoft Store

This one is Windows only. Go to Start, then settings, and choose Personalization. On the left side, you’ll see a button for Fonts. On the Fonts page, click on the link labeled: Get More fonts in Microsoft Store. After you open the store, you will find several individual fonts and font packs for free. However, some fancy fonts are available for a small fee.

You can also find screenshots, descriptions, and system requirements for these files. Click the big blue Get button to download the font file to your system.

Other Sources

There are many other websites where you can download free and paid fonts, for example: FontSpace, DaFont, Creative Market, Behance, FontStruct, Fontasy, FontSquirrel. The list goes on and on.

How to install fonts for Excel on Windows

After you download a font, it goes to the Downloads folder, a folder you specify, or the default folder. Please locate the folder and check if it is a zip file. Unzip the files in a folder and open the folder. Once you see the font file (usually in .ttf or .otf extension), double click the file and select install font. If it prompts to allow the program to make changes and trust the source, click yes. Windows installs the selected font to its operating system files.

If you want to install all fonts at once, choose Ctrl+A to select all files. Then right-click and select install fonts. If a font is already installed, it reinstalls the same font again. Remember, you may need admin access to the system to install new fonts.

You can also drag and drop font files to the Font window in the control panel. Windows automatically installs all those dropped files in the C:\Windows\Fonts folder. If you drag and drop font files even to this folder, Windows installs them as well.

How to install fonts for Excel on a Mac

The procedure on a Mac system is a little different. The Apple operating system installs all fonts via the Font Book app. You need to click the add button in the Font Book toolbar. Then, locate the folder and the font and click open. Alternatively, you can double-click the font file in the finder. It will open the font previewer, and when you click install font, the installed font will appear in the Font Book.

Please note that if you are using Office 2011 for Mac, you may have to drag the font to Windows Office Compatible Collection in your Font Book. Only then the font will be available in MS Office.

Where to find your new fonts in Excel?

After installing your new fonts, they become part of the operating system and are available for use in all apps and software, including MS Office programs like Word and Excel. You can find new fonts in the usual font location inside the program.

Find your font in Excel in the Font command group
Find your font in Excel in the Font command group of the Home tab on the top toolbar.

If you have the Home tab selected in the toolbar at the top of Excel, you can open the font drop-down. There you can see all the fonts alphabetically listed, including the newly installed fonts. Alternatively, you can use the format cells option to open the Font tab. It even shows a preview of all the fonts: old and new. You can also open the font setting with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+F. By the way, if you want to learn about more keyboard shortcuts, for both Windows and Mac, check out our Keyboard Shortcuts page.

Conclusion

It is pretty straightforward to download font files of your liking from the Internet. You can quickly install the font files and they are ready for immediate use in Excel. Whether you’re on Windows or on Mac, you can now make your spreadsheets appear more attractive than ever.

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