Choosing a font for a professional document or a personal blog should prioritize readability, impression, and impact. Windows comes with many types, but what if you want something else?
We’ll show you where to find great free fonts and how to install them in Windows 10 and 11 rapidly.
A font is a data file with lines and curves that define a unique symbol (glyph) when drawn on a screen.
Math makes scaling characters easier than pixels.
TrueType, created by Apple in the late 1980s (.tff file), and OpenType, by Microsoft and Adobe, are two famous font types (.oft). Most operating systems support both, but the latter is based on the former and has more features.
Designers should use OpenType because the data file uses better math to make glyphs, resulting in fancier fonts.
Like most operating systems, Windows comes with scores of types, which are usually enough. Adding a new type is easy if you want to try something new or have a specific style in mind.
Related: How to Add Fonts in Microsoft Word
Many websites give fonts for download; some are free, and others are expensive because of the type of license.
Most TechSpot titles and UI features use Roboto and Helvetica/Arial. Google created this Android font. The Apache license lets you use, modify, and share it without fees.
Check the license details if you plan to use a paid font set for publicly released papers.
Google Fonts is a fantastic place to find typefaces you can use without paying for their use. With over 1,400 font styles to peruse, you’ll discover the perfect font here.
Inputting the typeface name into the search bar will generate results for that font. You can test a few options if you’re still uncertain by entering other sentences into the Sentence box next to the search bar. Just enter some text and see how it instantly appears in every font the site offers.
After selecting a font, hit “Download family” on the next tab. It is at the top right.
Windows Store sells free and paid fonts, but you can only preview them after downloading.
Fontspace has a considerable selection, while Adobe Fonts has a narrower passage. Searching for “free fonts” online yields scores of excellent results.
Now that you’ve downloaded the typeface you want, you can access it from wherever you placed it.
Most typefaces will arrive as a pdf file, which needs to extract before installation.
Although the accompanying screenshots are for Windows 11, the corresponding feature will also be available in Windows 10.
You can extract everything from the archive by right-clicking on it and selecting the choice.
All the typefaces you downloaded should be in a new subdirectory in Downloads. To install a program, navigate to the subdirectory and right-click the one you want to use.
Simply clicking on this will get you up and running in no time. The updated typeface will now display in Microsoft Word and elsewhere. If the newly installed typeface isn’t yet visible, stop the application and reopen it.
It’s the most straightforward implementation technique I’ve found, and it works for Windows 7 up to Windows 11.
Windows Options (Win key + I) is another option for those who prefer a more involved procedure. To access fonts, go to Personalisation > Fonts.
If you want to add new typefaces to Windows 10, go to the Appearance and Customization section of the Control Panel (Start > Windows System > Control Panel). You can find the typefaces folder inside.
Here, you can add new ones and click on them to see where they’re stored and which languages they support.
Like on Google Fonts, you can type in some sample text to try the font.
Metadata is helpful if you want to ensure font-created papers have licensing limitations.
In Windows 10 and 11, hit the Uninstall icon to remove a font, but each font variant (bold, narrow, italic, etc.) needs to uninstall separately.
This piece concludes with a tip for when you know the type you want but need to know its name or where to find it. Based on an image sample you submit to the website, font-matching services propose ones to try.
Font Squirrel and Font Finder use this method, but you can also use an image URL. Right-click on an image with the font you want and pick “Copy Image Address” or similar.
The image must be mostly text, as systems will battle to recognize it if it’s tiny or unclear. Keep the text erect as well.
Naturally, such services will favor paid fonts over free ones, but the two sites we’ve mentioned always show at least one free type.
Thus, Windows font installation is simple. There’s a massive number of them out there to try out, with classics such as Lato and Montserrat being very famous.
If you want something new to spice up your papers, try Silkscreen for 1980s tech memories or Sacramento for cursive.
ManilaShaker is a tech media producing insightful and helpful content for our local and growing international audience. Our goal is to create a premier Philippine digital consumer electronics resource that provides the most objective reviews and comparisons globally.
