Fix Installed Mac Fonts Not Showing in Word or Excel
Question details
User installed custom TTF or OTF fonts via Font Book on a Mac, but the fonts are missing from the font selection dropdowns in Microsoft Word and Excel.
- Product
- Microsoft Word and Excel for Mac
- Device & OS
- macOS
- Scenario
- Attempting to apply newly installed third-party fonts (such as Times Sans Serif) to text in Word documents or Excel spreadsheets.
- Observed behavior
- The fonts are successfully installed and visible in the macOS Font Book, but they do not appear in the font lists within Microsoft Office applications.
Ensure you have completely downloaded the correct .ttf or .otf font files and that you have administrator privileges on your Mac to manage system-wide font installations.
Restart Mac and Verify Font Enablement in Font Book
Microsoft Office apps often need a system restart to rebuild the font cache and recognize newly installed custom fonts.
Even if a font appears in Font Book, it might be disabled or not yet registered by Microsoft Office's internal font cache. A quick verification and system restart is the most effective first step.
Launch 'Font Book' from your Mac's Launchpad or the Applications folder.
Search for the missing font in the list. If the font name is grayed out, right-click it and select 'Enable [Font Name]'.
Completely close Microsoft Word and Excel by right-clicking their icons in the Dock and selecting 'Quit'.
Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select 'Restart'. Once your Mac reboots, open Word or Excel to see if the font is now available.
Validate Fonts and Remove Duplicates
Damaged or duplicate font files can conflict with Microsoft Office, preventing the font from displaying in the menu.
Update Microsoft Office to the Latest Version
Older versions of Office for Mac might contain bugs related to third-party font rendering that are patched in newer updates.
Try WPS Office for Mac for Seamless Font Management
If Microsoft Office consistently fails to recognize your custom Mac fonts, consider switching to WPS Office. It perfectly integrates with macOS Font Book natively, ensuring all your custom fonts are instantly available for document creation without tedious troubleshooting. Plus, it provides excellent compatibility with all your existing files.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the macOS version.
- 2. Install and launch: Install the application and open WPS Writer or WPS Spreadsheets.
- 3. Use your custom fonts: Open your document and seamlessly select your third-party fonts directly from the font dropdown list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my installed fonts showing up in Apple Pages but not in Microsoft Word?
Apple Pages uses the native macOS font system directly, while Microsoft Office uses its own internal font cache. Sometimes Office fails to sync immediately with Font Book. Restarting your Mac or clearing the Office font cache usually forces Word to recognize the fonts.
Does Word for Mac support both OTF and TTF fonts?
Yes, Microsoft Word for Mac supports both TrueType (.ttf) and OpenType (.otf) fonts. However, some highly customized or poorly encoded OTF fonts might still fail to display correctly in Office applications.
How do I safely clear the font cache on my Mac?
You can clear the system font cache by booting your Mac into Safe Mode. Shut down your Mac, then turn it on while holding the Shift key until the Apple logo appears. Once in Safe Mode, restart your Mac normally. This forces macOS to rebuild the font cache.
Can I embed custom fonts in a Word document on a Mac?
Yes, in newer Microsoft 365 versions of Word for Mac, you can embed fonts by going to Word > Preferences > Save, and checking 'Embed fonts in the file'. This ensures the document retains your custom fonts when opened on another computer.
