Fix Bold Italic Fonts Displaying Incorrectly in Word for Mac
Question details
Users are experiencing an issue where applying both bold and italic formatting causes text to render incorrectly or disappear entirely.
- Product
- Microsoft Word for Mac
- Device & OS
- Mac (iMac, MacBook Pro)
- Scenario
- Formatting document text with bold and italic styles simultaneously.
- Observed behavior
- Approximately 90 percent of fonts appear as if they do not exist when formatted as bold italic, despite standard, bold, and italic working fine individually. Standard system fonts like Times New Roman and Candara are unaffected.
Ensure that the specific fonts you are attempting to use actually have a dedicated 'Bold Italic' typeface installed in your Mac's Font Book application.
Update Microsoft Office for Mac
Updating Word to the latest version often resolves known rendering bugs and display anomalies with font styles.
Microsoft frequently releases patches to address rendering bugs on macOS. Ensuring you are on version 16.48 or newer may instantly resolve the missing font issue.
Launch Microsoft Word on your Mac and open any blank or existing document.
Go to the top menu bar, click on 'Help', and select 'Check for Updates' from the drop-down menu.
If Microsoft AutoUpdate finds a newer version, click 'Update' to install it. Once the installation is complete, restart Microsoft Word and check your fonts.
Select the Bold-Italic Font Family Directly
Applying bold and italic via the formatting toolbar buttons forces the application to synthesize the style, which can fail. Selecting the specific bold-italic font from the drop-down menu can bypass this display issue.
Use WPS Office for Reliable Font Rendering on Mac
If Microsoft Word continues to struggle with font styles on your Mac, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides robust font rendering, native macOS support, and seamless migration.
- 1. Download and install: Download WPS Office for Mac from the official website and install the application.
- 2. Open your document: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing Word documents directly.
- 3. Apply formatting safely: Highlight your text and confidently apply bold and italic formatting without worrying about rendering bugs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do some fonts disappear when I apply bold and italic in Word for Mac?
This happens when the font family doesn't include a dedicated bold-italic variant, forcing Word to artificially synthesize it. When the synthesis engine fails due to bugs in certain Word versions, the text renders as blank or missing.
How do I check if a font has a bold italic version installed on my Mac?
Open the 'Font Book' application on your Mac, search for the font name, and expand the family group. Check if 'Bold Italic' is explicitly listed under the available typefaces.
Does this bold italic display bug affect all fonts in Word?
No, standard system fonts like Times New Roman, Arial, and Candara usually display perfectly because their font files contain complete, dedicated bold-italic styles that the system does not need to synthesize.
