Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNet

Ever scrolled through all your fonts and simply cannot find the right one for your work? When creating a visual project, finding the right font is key to what you want to convey with your design. Nobody uses Comic Sans unless they don't want to be taken seriously, for example. And you may remember how Times New Roman was the go-to for compositions and Arial was the default for website creators. 

But with unlimited fonts available online, it's only a matter of time before you find yourself wanting to add new options to your repertoire. 

How to add fonts to Photoshop

There are two essential ways to add fonts to Photoshop, you can download and install fonts on your computer and use them on Photoshop or you can go through your Creative Cloud account and add them through Adobe fonts. We'll cover both methods here.

Download and install fonts:

This is probably the best method because you can do it without needing to log in to your Creative Cloud account, it's free, and you'll have the font at your disposal to use for any other programs where fonts are used, not just Photoshop.

Step 1: Choose a font to download

Dafont.com and 1001Fonts are just a couple of examples of where to download free fonts

I cannot stress this enough: always choose a reputable website to download files from. I've used Dafont for over a decade now, but there are many others you can use like Envato, 1001Fonts, Google Fonts, Creative Market, and many more.

Step 2: Click Download

Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNet

I'll be choosing "Somebody Else" to add to Photoshop. If you want to view the font family, click on the name of it to the left. To download the font, click Download to the right.

Step 3: Find the downloaded font

Find font in Downloads

Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNet

Your new font will be in a compressed file in your Downloads folder. Once you locate it, double-click it to open and find the actual font files inside.

Unzipped font file

Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNet

Fonts typically come in either TTF or OTF file formats. Both can be installed in Windows or Mac after download. TTF or TrueType font files are an older format and are what you've probably seen more often if you're used to working with fonts. OTF or OpenType font files are a newer format with more scalable options, but for the average user, both files are equally usable.

Step 4: Install font

When you double-click on the font file, a new window will come up

Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNet

When you double-click on the font file in your Downloads folder, a new window appears where you can preview the font and then click on the Install Font button. 

Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNet

After installation, your new font will be visible on your computer.

Step 5: Use your font

You can easily find the new font in Photoshop

Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNet

Once your font is installed, it's ready to use right away. Just open up Photoshop and find your new font using the text tool.

Because you downloaded and installed a font on your computer, you can now use it in Photoshop or wherever you can use fonts. This includes Pages, Word, Excel, etc.

Using Adobe Fonts:

Aside from downloading and installing fonts, you can also add fonts directly in Photoshop using your Adobe Creative Cloud account. Here's how:

Step 1: Go to Adobe Fonts

Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNet

Using the text tool in Photoshop, go to your fonts drop-down menu and click on the Creative Cloud icon to browse Adobe fonts.

Step 2: Choose font

Quickly search fonts with the filter options on the left

Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNet

This will open the Adobe fonts website where you can search for fonts that meet your criteria. I picked one named Hachura, the one in purple that reads "All that is solid melts into air". 

Step 3: Activate font

Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNet

Click on the toggle next to Activate Font to add it to Photoshop. This will immediately add it to Photoshop and it'll be ready to use right away.

Some useful information from Adobe, you can bypass this message in the future.

Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNet

Just a useful message from Adobe once you activate your font. 

Step 4: Font is ready to use

Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNet

The Adobe font added is immediately available in Photoshop using the text tool and will go with you wherever you log into your Creative Cloud account.

FAQ

Are fonts free?

Many fonts are available for free use on many websites, just make sure to read the description before downloading them. Adobe fonts are free with a Creative Cloud subscription. 

What is font licensing?

Fonts are licensed for different uses like personal and commercial use, or others are 100% free or obtained through donationware. When you're looking for a font to add to Photoshop, think about what you'll be using it for. If you're using it for personal use, you'll easily find many free fonts available. If you need a font for commercial use, though, make sure it is licensed for it or as public domain before using it.

More how-tos

How to set up and use Meta's Threads as a Windows 11 desktop app3 essential Windows tools for troubleshooting (and how to use them)How to use iOS 17's 'Live Voicemail' transcriptions, and which iPhones support itBing Chat now has the highly-requested dark mode. Here's how to turn it on

• How to set up and use Meta's Threads as a Windows 11 desktop app
• 3 essential Windows tools for troubleshooting (and how to use them)
• How to use iOS 17's 'Live Voicemail' transcriptions, and which iPhones support it
• Bing Chat now has the highly-requested dark mode. Here's how to turn it on