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This guide by Mytour will walk you through the steps to install fonts in Adobe Illustrator on your computer. You can add fonts to both Windows and Mac systems.
Steps
On Windows
Close Illustrator if it's open. You won't be able to see newly installed fonts in Illustrator if it's running during the installation process.
Download the font you want to install. If you haven't downloaded the font yet, find and download it to your computer before proceeding.
- The font for Illustrator must be a complete font, meaning it should include bold, italic, and underline styles for both uppercase and lowercase letters.
- You can download the font in .OTF, .TFF, .PFP, and .TTF formats.
Open the ZIP folder containing the font. Click on the folder containing the ZIP file of the font (e.g., the Downloads folder) in the left column of File Explorer.
- You can also open additional folders in the main window to locate the ZIP folder.
Click on the ZIP folder. This is the action to select the folder.
Click on the Extract tab. This tab is located at the top of the File Manager window. Clicking it displays the toolbar below the Extract tab.
Click on Extract all button. This button is located to the right of the toolbar.
Click on the Extract when prompted. The folder will be extracted into a regular folder.
Wait for the font files to be extracted. Once the extraction is complete, the extracted folder will open, and you can interact with the font files.
Double-click on the font file. This will open the font preview window.
Click on the Install button. This button is located at the top of the preview window. Clicking it will install the selected font for use in any program that supports fonts on your computer, including Illustrator.
- If there are separate bold or italic fonts, you will need to double-click and install each font individually to use them in Illustrator.
On Mac
Make sure to close all applications. You need to close any photo editing or graphic design programs before installing fonts on a Mac. Some common applications include:
- Adobe Illustrator
- Pages
- Microsoft Office Applications
Download the font if necessary. If you haven't downloaded the font yet, make sure to find and download it before proceeding.
- The font for Illustrator must be complete, including bold, italic, and underline styles for both uppercase and lowercase letters.
- Mac supports font formats such as .DFONT, .OTF, .TTF, .TTC, PostScript, and Multiple Master.
Open Finder. This is the blue face-shaped application located in the Mac's Dock.
Access the font you want to install. Click on the folder containing the font file in the left panel of Finder, then open the folder containing the font file.
- If the font file is not in a folder, navigate to its location manually.
Select the font file. Click on the font file you want to install.
- If there are multiple files (e.g., "Italic", "Bold"), select each file by holding down the ⌘ Command key and clicking on each file.
Click on Edit. This option is located in the top-left corner of your screen. A dropdown menu will appear.
Click on Copy. This option is found within the Edit dropdown. It allows you to copy the font file.
Click on Go. This option is located on the Mac menu bar. Click here to open another dropdown menu.
Click on Go to Folder. This option is located near the bottom of the Go dropdown.
Type /System/Library and press ⏎ Return. This will open the Library folder.
Double-click on Fonts. This folder contains all the fonts used by programs on your Mac, including Illustrator.
Click on Edit. This button is found on the menu bar.
Click on Paste Item. This action pastes the font file into the Fonts folder.
- If you copied multiple files earlier, simply click Paste Items to proceed.
Restart your Mac.
Restart...Reboot
