How to Make More Fonts Visible in Microsoft Word

The Microsoft Office word processing program, titled Word, is one of the most used programs throughout the world. Students type essays and reports. Businesses create letters and memos. Families make signs for a yard sale or lemonade stand. There are so many uses for this program that you may notice you don’t have all of the fonts available for Word on your specific Word program.

Check the Printer

The Word program is designed to continually check the printer it is connected to. This is called “device context.” When Word realizes that you are using an older printer, a particular laser printer or any printer that does not support certain fonts, it eliminates these fonts from your choices displayed at the top of the page. Make sure that your printer is capable of printing the font you want before finding it on Word. If the printer cannot print the font, Word does not allow you to choose that particular font.

Check the Control Panel

If you are certain that your printer prints the font you want to use and you are still unable to get Word to display the font you want, follow these steps:

1. Open the Control Panel on your computer. Click on the green “Start” tab usually located at the bottom left-hand corner of your screen. The Control Panel option is usually in the second column of choices. Click on the “Control Panel” option twice.


2. Click on the folder labeled “Fonts” twice.


3. Select “Tools” in the menu options on the top line of the screen.


4. Select “Folder Options” in the tools menu.  A window opens.


5. Click on the tab that reads, “True Type Fonts.”


6. Look for the box that reads “Show only True Type fonts in the programs on my computer.”


7. Make sure that this box is not checkmarked. If it is, click on the box to clear the box of the check mark.


8. Click on “OK” or “Apply” if you had to change the check mark.
   
   

Check the Fonts

1. Open the Control Panel on your computer.


2. Double click on the “Fonts” folder.


3. Review the fonts available.  Understand that fonts labeled “Roman,” “Modern” or “Script” cannot be read by a laser or inkjet printers. If you have one of these printers, these scripts will not print.


4. Look for fonts with numbers such as “Courier 10, 12 or 15” or font icons that are in red. These fonts are non-printable fonts and designed specifically for Windows menus, dialog boxes and messages.
   
   

 Add New Fonts

If everything is clear with the printer, the control panel and the fonts, you may just need to install new fonts onto your computer.  This is a simple process.

1. Close all Windows applications.


2. Go to the Control Panel.


3. Double click on the “Appearance and Themes” icon.


4. Click on “Install New Font” on the “File” option in the menu located at the top of the screen.


5. Click the drive where the fonts are located.


6. Double-click the folder that contains the fonts.


7. Click on the font you want to add. To add more than one font, hold the “Ctrl” button and click on all the fonts you want to add.


8. Click “Ok.”  The fonts download onto your computer and you can to use them in a Word document as long as your printer supports the fonts you selected.