Your iPad and/or iPhone will allow you to install .otf and .ttf font types for use in a variety of programs. You won’t be able to change the system default font, but that doesn’t mean you have no choice in fonts for different creative uses! You can use custom fonts in apps like Word, Excel, and KeyNote for starters – there are even more design or office programs out there that support using these installed fonts as well so it’s really easy to let your creativity flow and stop using generic fonts! If you access Cricut’s Design Space through your iPhone or iPad, you can install fonts for use in that app, as well!
IMPORTANT: Please be patient and aware of the fact that I, personally, do not make the rules + processes needed for font installation on your iPad or iPhone. I only create the font files, and have literally no control over the operating system, your device’s capabilities, or the rules the developers put in place for a process like this.
I will always recommend that the best experience with my fonts will be on a desktop or laptop machine.
That said, it is absolutely possible to use my fonts on an iPad or iPhone, but you must follow the process below, which includes downloading the files, extracting the files, and a few different steps using third party apps.
If you’re more of a watch-a-video kind of learner, I do have video demonstrations on how to download & install fonts on your iPad and iPhone. You can find the iPad one here, and the iPhone one is here.
01. Download a Font Manager
Your new font(s) will need to be installed using the iOS configuration profile.
Using apps like AnyFont, Font Installer, iFont, and other font apps will allow you to download your font file and package it up so that it can easily be installed on your iPad or iPhone. You can install multiple fonts or choose one font to install!
For the purpose of this set of instructions, I’ve chosen to work with iFont on my iPad – it’s free to use! Below is a screencap of what the interface looks like!
02. Download Your Custom Font(s)
With some font apps, like the iFont app, you may be able to download Google fonts directly within the app from the font libraries. However, you can also download your Google fonts or custom third party fonts directly from your browser!
You would only need to follow the general download process as you would for any other downloadable file, unzip if necessary, and make sure you know where you saved the file!
iFont has an option to “Find Fonts to Install” — tap that, and then use “Open Files.” Navigate to where you downloaded the font file! Select the font you wish to install.
Important: Simply downloading the font does not install it. You need to follow the process, outlined below, to install the font so that it becomes available as a font option on your device.
I’ve chosen to work with my font Grateful Season for this blog post!
03. Install Fonts
After this, it’s smooth sailing! Next, install the font!
In iFont, you can do this by tapping “Installer” at the bottom left corner. It should have a little red bubble to indicate the notification – the red bubble will disappear when you tap.
When you tap Installer, you’ll see the font(s) you selected to install on the left side of your screen with a blue “Install” button. Tap install!
You’ll get a pop-up within the app after this. When prompted to open a configuration profile in your settings app, tap “allow”. Depending on your iPad settings, you may be prompted to enter your passcode.
After you do that, you’ll get a notice that says that the profile was downloaded, and it instructs you to review the profile in Settings if you wish to install the font. When you tap “Close” on the notice, you’ll find a set of instructions for what you need to do next. Follow those instructions! (You can tap “Cancel” in the upper right corner of the pop-up to get rid of this before you go to your iPad Settings.)
You will receive a warning that the profile isn’t signed with a key – that’s normal, don’t worry! You can see for yourself by tapping “More Details” and viewing exactly what’s inside: simply the fonts installed by you! A screencap of what that looks like is below!
Continue tapping Install for any other windows that pop up.
Now, tap “Done” when you receive the notification that it was installed.
04. Use Your Own Fonts
Now that you’ve installed your custom fonts, they will appear beside the default system font list in your apps. Simply choose your font in the list and use it to your heart’s content!
You can use in any app that uses the fonts installed on your iPad! (Some apps may not allow for custom font usage, so it is important for you to double check that the app itself accesses your device’s installed fonts. You can do that by contacting the developer, or by reading through any help files provided by the app.) I’ve got a screencap below showing you Procreate, which is a design app that allows you to use custom fonts!
Pro Tip: If you’d like to easily access the special characters within some fonts, you can download the paid app Unicode Character Viewer. The app is .99 cents, and will allow you to look up fonts installed on your device, copy the glyph you’d like to use, and then paste the glyph into the program you’re working in, such as Design Space or Procreate.
An Important Note:
Although this set of instructions uses an iPad, you can also install the fonts on your iPhone to be used in the same manner. iFont is available for download for iPhones, and you would follow the same basic process described in this post for iPhone installation!
Uninstalling Fonts
If you’ve decided that you’ve had enough of a new font and want to remove it, you can navigate to Settings > General > Profiles. Here, you can select a font profile and tap “Remove Profile” to remove the font from your system.