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How to Fix Times New Roman Displaying as Squares in Word for Mac
Question details
Users are experiencing an issue where text formatted in the Times New Roman font displays as square boxes or unreadable characters.
- Product
- Microsoft Word for Mac
- Device & OS
- macOS
- Scenario
- Reading, editing, or pasting text into Word documents using the Times New Roman font on a Mac device.
- Observed behavior
- The Times New Roman font fails to render correctly on the screen, substituting standard alphabetical characters with empty square boxes.
Before modifying system fonts, check if the issue occurs in both newly created documents and existing ones, and verify that your macOS is fully updated.
Validate and Reinstall the Font via Font Book
Use the built-in macOS Font Book utility to check for font file corruption and resolve activation issues.
macOS manages all system and application fonts through the Font Book app. If the Times New Roman font file becomes corrupted or deactivated, applications like Microsoft Word will fail to render it, resulting in square characters.
Press Command + Space to open Spotlight Search, type 'Font Book', and hit Return to launch the application.
Use the search bar in the top right corner of the Font Book window to search for 'Times New Roman'.
Click on the font to select it, navigate to 'File' in the top Apple menu bar, and choose 'Validate Font'. A window will appear showing if the font has any errors or corruption.
If errors are found or the font is inactive, right-click the font and select 'Remove'. You can then reinstall a fresh version of the font or click 'Restore Standard Fonts' from the File menu to reset macOS default fonts.
Boot Mac into Safe Mode to Clear Font Caches
Starting your Mac in Safe Mode automatically clears system font caches, which can often resolve rendering glitches in Microsoft Office.
Experience Flawless Document Editing with WPS Office for Mac
If Microsoft Word for Mac continues to struggle with font rendering errors, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible environment for your documents without persistent font display issues.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website to download the macOS version of WPS Office.
- 2. Open Your Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing Word document to view it with correct font rendering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do fonts suddenly turn into squares on Mac?
Fonts typically turn into squares when the application cannot read the font file. This is usually caused by a corrupted font cache, a deactivated font in the macOS Font Book, or conflicting duplicate font files.
Does this square character issue only affect Times New Roman?
No, this display issue can affect any font in Microsoft Word for Mac (like Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica) if its specific cache file is corrupted or if the font has been disabled at the system level.
Will I lose my document formatting if I temporarily change the font?
If you change the font to a working alternative (like Arial), the text will become readable, but the specific character spacing and pagination might shift. Once you fix the Times New Roman issue and change it back, your original formatting will be restored.
How do I restore default fonts on macOS?
You can restore default fonts by opening Font Book, clicking 'File' in the top menu bar, and selecting 'Restore Standard Fonts'. This will remove non-standard fonts and reinstall the original system fonts, including Times New Roman.
