How to install a TTF font

A .ttf (TrueType) file works on every Windows and Mac computer and in most design apps. Installing it takes a minute. This page covers Windows, macOS, Word, Canva, Cricut Design Space and Procreate, and explains why Google Docs and phones are different.

Short version: install the font on a computer, then restart the app you want to use it in. Phones are not where fonts get installed; to share your handwriting in a message, send the PNG sample or the animated GIF instead.

The general steps

Copy the .ttf file to a computer. Fonts are installed on a computer (or, for Procreate, on an iPad). Move the .ttf from your phone by email, a cloud drive or a USB cable.
Install it on Windows. Double-click the .ttf file and press Install in the preview window, or right-click the file and choose Install. The font is available to every app straight away.
Or install it on a Mac. Double-click the .ttf file. Font Book opens a preview; press Install Font.
Restart the app you want to use it in. Word, Cricut Design Space and most other apps read the font list when they start, so close and reopen them.
Pick the font by its name. The font appears in the font list under the name you gave your project in MyHandFont.

Windows 10 and 11

Here is how to install a font on Windows. Find the .ttf in File Explorer (usually in Downloads). Double-click it to open the preview and press Install. You can also right-click the file and choose Install; on Windows 11 the command may sit under Show more options. Install for all users needs administrator rights and is only needed on shared PCs. Another way is to open Settings, Personalization, Fonts, and drag the file onto the "Drag and drop to install" area.

If you install a newer version of the same font, uninstall the old one first (Settings, Personalization, Fonts, select the font, Uninstall) and close all apps, or Windows may keep showing the old letters.

macOS

To install the font on a Mac, double-click the .ttf. Font Book opens with a preview of the letters; press Install Font. Font Book may validate the file first and list any warnings. To remove or replace it later, open Font Book, select the font and choose Remove.

Microsoft Word

Word for Windows and Word for Mac use the fonts installed on the computer. Install the font as above, close Word completely and open it again; your font is in the font list on the Home tab. If you send the document to someone who does not have your font, they will see a substitute. In Word for Windows you can embed it: File, Options, Save, then tick Embed fonts in the file. Word for Mac has the same option under Word, Preferences, Save. Word for the web does not reliably list fonts installed on your computer, so use the desktop app for documents in your handwriting.

Canva

Uploading your own font to Canva needs a Canva plan that includes the Brand Kit (Canva Pro, Teams and some education and nonprofit plans). Open Brand, choose your Brand Kit, go to Brand fonts and select Upload a font, then pick the .ttf. Canva asks you to confirm you have the right to use the font; you do, because the font is your own handwriting. The font then appears in the font list in the editor. Canva on the free plan cannot upload fonts; in that case, add the PNG sample of your handwriting as an image.

Cricut Design Space

Cricut Design Space on Windows and Mac shows fonts installed on the computer. Install the font, close Design Space and open it again. In the Text tool, open the font list and choose the System filter to find it. Handwriting fonts work well with Cricut pens and markers because the letters are drawn with one stroke width. On a phone or tablet, Design Space only offers the fonts the device itself has, so use a computer for your own font.

Procreate on iPad

Procreate imports .ttf, .otf and .ttc files. First get the file onto the iPad: AirDrop it, save it to iCloud Drive, or open it from an email and save it to Files. In a canvas, tap Actions (the wrench), then Add, then Add text. Double-tap the text to open Edit Style and tap Import Font, then pick the .ttf from Files. You can also drag the file from the Files app into the font list.

Google Docs cannot install your own fonts

Google Docs, Sheets and Slides only offer the fonts in Google's own list (Fonts, More fonts). There is no way to upload a font file, so a personal handwriting font cannot be used there as text. Use the PNG sample as an image, or write the document in Word or another desktop app.

Phones do not install user fonts

On Android, apps cannot share fonts with each other, so there is no setting that installs a .ttf for every app. iPhones only accept fonts through apps that install them for the few apps that look for them. Some phone makers have their own theme stores with their own font formats; a .ttf from MyHandFont is not one of those. That is why the app exports the font for a computer and offers the PNG and GIF for sharing from the phone. Apps that let you choose a font file directly (some photo editors and note apps) can still open the .ttf.

If the font does not show up

Restart the app. Most apps only read the font list when they start.
Check the name. The font is listed under the name you gave your project, not under MyHandFont.
Check the file. It should end in .ttf and be a few dozen kilobytes. A file that ends in .json is the project file, not the font.
Replacing an older version? Remove the old one first, then install the new file.

Do not have a font yet? Make one from your handwriting or start drawing in the web font maker.