Office for Mac Issues

How to Turn Off Font Embedding by Default in Word for Mac

Guest Writer Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to disable font embedding by default in Microsoft Word for Mac to prevent saved documents from having unnecessarily large file sizes.

How to Turn Off Font Embedding in Word for Mac

Product: Microsoft Word for Mac
Device & OS: Mac
Scenario: Trying to save a Word document without embedding fonts to minimize the overall file size.
Observed behavior: The font embedding settings appear unavailable or grayed out until a document is actually open, and files are automatically saving with embedded fonts, increasing their size.

Before you start

Make sure you have a blank or existing document actively open in Word for Mac, as the application disables the save and font-embedding preferences when no document is open.

Solution 1Recommended

Disable Font Embedding via Word Save Preferences

Access the Word preferences with an open document to uncheck the font embedding option, reducing future file sizes.

Microsoft Word for Mac requires an active document to be open in the workspace before it allows you to modify document-specific save settings. Once opened, you can easily disable the embedding feature.

Open a document in Word

Launch Microsoft Word on your Mac and open either a new blank document or an existing file.

Navigate to Word Preferences

Click on 'Word' in the top Apple menu bar, then select 'Preferences' from the dropdown menu.

Open Save Settings

In the Preferences window, locate the 'Output and Sharing' section and click on the 'Save' icon.

Clear the embedding option

Under the Font Embedding section, uncheck the box next to 'Embed fonts in the file'. If available in your version, select 'All New Documents' to make this the default behavior.

Save the document

Close the Preferences window and save your document normally to apply the new settings.

Disable Font Embedding via Word Save Preferences

Document Specificity: Depending on your specific version of Word for Mac, the 'All New Documents' option might not be present. In such cases, you may need to clear the 'Embed fonts in this file' checkbox for each new document you create.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the 'Embed fonts in the file' option grayed out in Word for Mac?

This option remains disabled or grayed out if you open the Word application without opening an actual document. You must have a new blank document or an existing file open on your screen to access and change the font embedding settings.

How much does embedding fonts increase the size of a Word document?

Depending on the complexity and the number of custom font families used in the document, embedding fonts can easily increase your file size by several megabytes. Disabling this feature keeps your document strictly to text and formatting data.

Will my document look different to others if I turn off font embedding?

If you are using standard system fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman, your document will look exactly the same on other devices. However, if you use custom or downloaded fonts, turning off embedding means those fonts might be replaced by default alternatives on a recipient's computer if they do not have the custom fonts installed.

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