# How do I install free fonts on my PC?



## snoozy (May 10, 2002)

I've downloaded some zipped free fonts. How do I install them? One of you brilliant people must know. I've done it before. I know I could figure it out eventually. But it sure would be nice not to have to mess around like Helen Keller till I did...


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## Guest (Nov 29, 2008)

Here's how I do it:

I download the font(s) to my desktop.

Then I go to my control panel and open the Fonts directory.

Inside the Fonts directory, I go to File --> Install New Font

Then I browse to my desktop, and select the new font(s).

I don't have any fonts on my desktop right now to check, but I think after selecting, you click OK.

You can easily figure it out from there, I'm sure.


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## snoozy (May 10, 2002)

Well, now that's what I thought, and that's what I did, and I kept getting the message "No fonts found" or some such. And now I can even find them at all. I had them on the desktop and now they're not there (cue Twilight Zone theme song now..) I know I downloaded them and extracted them. Where would they have been extracted to??


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

snoozy said:


> I know I downloaded them and extracted them. Where would they have been extracted to??


You can extract them to anywhere, as long as you remember where that is. The desktop would be fine, as Ladycat suggested. Just make sure that the font installer is pointing to where ever you extracted the files.


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## snoozy (May 10, 2002)

I did it! 

I don't know exactly how I did it, but I did it. With 3 different fonts, no less. 

It's just like high school math. I get to the answers, but danged if I can show you how I got there...

Thanks, y'all!


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Just remember, free fonts, like free screen savers, free smilies, and anything else free for your computer usually comes with a price tag. Free software is usually paid for by adware or spyware.


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

Also keep in mind that local fonts are great for printed materials but if you send a copy of a document with local fonts those fonts dont go along with the document and if you loose the fonts or move to a new computer the fonts are gone and the document may be unusable.


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## snoozy (May 10, 2002)

mnn2501 said:


> Just remember, free fonts, like free screen savers, free smilies, and anything else free for your computer usually comes with a price tag. Free software is usually paid for by adware or spyware.


But if I use a spybot or clean-em-up program regularly, doesn't that take care of such things?


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## snoozy (May 10, 2002)

Gary in ohio said:


> Also keep in mind that local fonts are great for printed materials but if you send a copy of a document with local fonts those fonts dont go along with the document and if you loose the fonts or move to a new computer the fonts are gone and the document may be unusable.


Yes, I know that. I intend to use them in a logo which will be saved as a jpeg or something like that, rather than use them as type.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Gary in ohio said:


> Also keep in mind that local fonts are great for printed materials but if you send a copy of a document with local fonts those fonts dont go along with the document and if you loose the fonts or move to a new computer the fonts are gone and the document may be unusable.


Yes, and that goes double for web page building. I know people who have been totally proud of their page all dressed up with tricky fonts, but very few visitors had the ability to display the fonts properly. Browsers will simply revert to the default font when that happens.


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

Nevada, your right...I lost one of my fonts I used on my website with a computer change (and forgot the darned fonts before formatting). It was actually in my dreamweaver or PSP I think (or some other web design program I had tried and it installed it)...but of course, those old versions were updated and/or long gone...and the new ones did not have the font. Searched for it and had to pay for the script if I wanted it. Still its on my webpage and can be viewed, but if I want to change a title, I am screwed. So if your going to use a font for graphic design on a web site, you will want to back up your fonts you use. When I redesign my website, I certainly will remember to do that...but really miss that I will not be able to use my candesarella CAC (I think that was spelling) script.


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## OrganicCat (Sep 23, 2008)

snoozy said:


> But if I use a spybot or clean-em-up program regularly, doesn't that take care of such things?


No, unfortunately. The reason virus programs and spyware programs tell you to update your stuff so often is because there are so many uncaught ones out there. The virus stuff is only good if you are ahead of the game and "last resort" protection. The percentages for blocked and unblocked viruses are not even 50/50...

It is basically NEVER safe to download those flashy nice fonts, screensavers and such.


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## mikellmikell (Nov 9, 2005)

I have several thousand fonts that I've picked up for free and never had a problem with unwanted stuff attached.

http://www.dafont.com/themes.php

http://www.1001fonts.com/fonts_overview.html?sort=font_reviews&page=1&preview_text=

http://www.fontstock.net/

http://www.fontscape.com/explore?71Y

mikell


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