How do I Install Fonts on Ubuntu?

Fonts are the primary component to strengthen and enhance the interactiveness of the system’s interface. Ubuntu supports a long list of font styles to beautify the interface. However, the fonts available in the system are limited. Online support of fonts, i.e., Google Fonts, can be availed on Ubuntu to enhance the number of fonts and styles on the system.

This post will present possible methods to install fonts on Ubuntu with the following outline:  

Sources to Download Fonts

There are various websites that offer free fonts, some of the most popular sites are mentioned below:

The users can download any font style from the sources given above and proceed to the below-mentioned methods. 

Method 1: Through Font Manager

The first way to install fonts in Ubuntu is by using the “Font Manager” software that manages the desktop fonts for the operating system. Users can import new fonts with the help of the application.

Step 1: Install Font Manager

Let’s install “Font Manger” to import the particular downloaded font. To do so, the following command will be used for installation:

$ sudo apt install font-manager

Step 2: Download Fonts

Download any font of your choice from the website as we are downloading the “Robot” Google fonts website:

Step 3: Extract the “.zip” File

Once you download the particular font, extract the file by right-clicking:

The extracted files carry the font styles:

Note: If you want to install a specific font style, you need to double-click on it and install it to get that particular font on your system. 

Step 4: Launch Font Manager 

After the installation of the “Font Manger”, Launch it from the application:

Step 5: Add the Font to the Font Manager

From the interface of the application, click on the “+” button on the top left side, import, and choose the location of the font file:

Once the user imported the font file, it will be available as can be seen in the below image:

Verify the Change

Let’s verify the availability of fonts in Ubuntu, i.e., LibreOffice. Open it from the application and click on the fonts list, scroll down, and look for the font you imported. As we have imported the “Robot Condensed” fonts, and it is available in the list of fonts:

The particular font has been imported.

Method 2: Through Default Font Directory

The second way to import the font is to copy the font file in the fonts directory located “/usr/local/share/fonts/”. This directory contains all fonts available in the operating system. Let’s implement the working of this method:

Step 1: Download Font

Download the Font of your choice from the Google font website as we are downloading the “Sacramento” font:

Step 2: Extract the “.zip” File

After downloading the font file, extract the file by right-clicking:

Step 3: Jump Into the Extracted Folder 

Use the “cd” command and jump into the extracted folder of the font:

$ cd Downloads/Sacramento

Step 4: Copy the Font File

Now, copy the font file into the “/usr/local/share/fonts/” directory using the below-given command:

$ sudo cp /usr/local/share/fonts/-Regular.ttf /usr/local/share/fonts/

The font will be copied and available for use.

Verify the Change

To verify the specific font is installed in the operating system, open the library office and search for the particular font from the font list:

“Sacramento” is available on the list.

Method 3: Manually Adding Fonts Directory

Another method to install the font is by manually creating the font directory in the operating system and pasting the font files in it. To implement this method, go through the below-given steps.

Step 1: Download Fonts

Access the Google Font website, and download the font according to your choice, i.e., “Gloria Hallelujah” in this case:

Step 2: Extract the “.zip” File

Extract the Downloaded file by right-clicking:

Step 3: Open the Extracted Folder

Once the file is extracted, open the extracted folder:

Step 4: Copy the Font File

Press the right-click and copy the font file:

Step 5: Create Font Directory

Utilize the “mkdir” command and create a hidden “Font” Folder in the home directory by placing “.” before its name:

$ mkdir .Fonts

Step 6: Paste the Copied Font File

Now, press the “Ctrl+H” From the keyboard to view the hidden folders and open the “Font” folder:

Paste the copied font file into the folder:

Verify the Change

Let’s verify the presence of the font in “LibreOffice”:

The specific font is available in the font list.

Conclusion

In Ubuntu, fonts are installed through the “Font-Manager” application, adding the fonts to the default directory, or manually creating the font directory. The users need to download the font from Google fonts or any other source and use any of the above methods to import and use the particular font. This blog has illustrated the most efficient methods for the installation of fonts in Ubuntu.