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Google Fonts: What They Are and How to Download Them

Google Fonts is one of the biggest collections of free fonts in the world. Fonts like Roboto, Montserrat, Poppins and Playfair Display are used on millions of websites, apps and designs. Here’s what Google Fonts are, why they’re free and how to download and use them.

What are Google Fonts?

Google Fonts is a library of open-source fonts that Google makes available for free. It has around 2,000 font families, from simple sans serifs to calligraphy, pixel fonts and fonts for dozens of writing systems, including Hindi, Arabic, Japanese and Korean.

Every Google Font uses an open license, mainly the SIL Open Font License, with a few under the Apache License or the Ubuntu Font Licence. That means you can use them for free in personal and commercial projects: logos, videos, printed products, websites and apps.

How to download Google Fonts

From Originalfonts: the whole Google Fonts collection is on Originalfonts, with live previews, categories and a clear license summary for each font.

  1. Find a font by browsing categories or searching.
  2. Type your own text into the preview box to test it.
  3. Open the font’s page and click Download free. You’ll get a ZIP file with all the font files and the license.

From the Google Fonts website:

  1. Go to fonts.google.com and open a font.
  2. Click Get font. This adds it to your selection.
  3. Open your selection and click Download all to get a ZIP file.

How to install Google Fonts on your computer

  1. Unzip the file you downloaded.
  2. Windows: right-click a .ttf file and choose Install. See How to install fonts on Windows.
  3. Mac: double-click the file, then click Install in Font Book.
  4. Restart your apps. The font now appears in Word, PowerPoint, Photoshop and other programs.

Many Google Fonts come as variable fonts: one file that contains every weight from thin to black. Install it once and all the weights become available.

Using Google Fonts in popular apps

  • Google Docs, Sheets and Slides have Google Fonts built in. Open the font menu and choose More fonts to add them.
  • Microsoft Word and PowerPoint: install the font on your computer first. If you’ll send the file to someone who doesn’t have the font, you can embed it in the document from the app’s save options.
  • Canva includes many Google Fonts already, and paid plans let you upload your own.
  • CapCut: download the font and import it. See How to add fonts to CapCut.

Using Google Fonts on a website

There are two ways:

  • Link to Google’s servers. Google Fonts gives you a short code to paste into your site. It’s quick, but each visitor’s browser contacts Google to fetch the font.
  • Host the fonts yourself. Upload the font files to your own server. This is often faster and more private. In 2022 a German court ruled that a website broke data-protection law by sending visitors’ IP addresses to Google through embedded Google Fonts, so many sites in Europe now host fonts themselves.

Popular Google Fonts

  • Roboto – the neutral, readable font behind Android.
  • Open Sans – friendly and clear for websites.
  • Montserrat – geometric and modern, great for headings.
  • Poppins – round and clean, very popular for social media.
  • Lato – warm and professional.
  • Inter – made for screens and user interfaces.
  • Playfair Display – elegant serif for headlines.
  • Merriweather – a serif designed for comfortable reading on screens.
  • Oswald – condensed and bold for titles.
  • Bebas Neue – all-capital display font for posters and thumbnails.

Frequently asked questions

Are Google Fonts free for commercial use?

Yes. All Google Fonts use open licenses that allow commercial use, including logos and products you sell. You just can’t sell the font files themselves.

Do I need to credit Google or the designer?

No credit is required when you use the fonts in your designs. If you share the font files themselves, include their license.

Can I use Google Fonts in a logo?

Yes. Open font licenses allow logos. Keep in mind that other people can use the same free font, so it won’t be exclusive to you.

How many Google Fonts are there?

Around 2,000 families, and new ones are added regularly. You can browse all of them on Originalfonts.