How to install fonts on Android the easy way

It’s not the fad it once was, but some folks still like installing custom fonts. It’s still very doable, although the process is a little more obscure than most. You can also create your own fonts and install those. The whole thing only requires a couple of apps, some time, and some patience. Please note that this may not work on all phones, but it should work on most. It should also work up through Android 12, and it shouldn’t require root.

Please note that your phone needs to be able to change its own font in the Settings for this to work without root. You’ll need to root and use a custom Magisk module (creatable in zFont) to change your font otherwise.

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• A TTF file — TTF files are the generally accepted format for font files. You can download them for free from a variety of sources. Some fonts do require payment. Not all TTF files will work with Android, but the vast majority should.
• A file browser — We used Solid Explorer for this tutorial, but any file browser should get the job done without much hassle.
• zFont – zFont is an app that lets you install fonts with or without root. There may be some other apps that can do it, but none of them are as reliable as zFont. The ad-free zFont add-on costs $4.99.

Don’t proceed to the next part until you have the previous steps done.

How to install fonts on Android

The process may be different from phone to phone, but here is a general guide:

• Let’s start by opening your file browser. Create a folder in the main directory called Fonts. The main directory should be the one where your Download folder is.
• Use your file browser again to find your downloaded TTF file. Copy and paste it into the Fonts folder.
• Open zFont and tap the Local option in the bottom right corner. Tap the green plus button and select the Add file option. Navigate to your Fonts folder and select the TTF file.
• The font should appear in the Local section of zFont. Tap the font and then tap the Apply button. When prompted, tap the Auto (Recommended) option and hit Done.
• Here is where things get a little shaky. Depending on your phone OEM, you may have to perform some prerequisite tasks. For example, on my Galaxy S22 Ultra, I had to install SamsungSans, apply it, sign in to my Samsung account, back up my Settings data, and then uninstall SamsungSans.
• Luckily, zFont lets you tap each prerequisite to take you to the proper screen to get all of that done. Take your time, follow the directions exactly and in order.

Once done, your font should be applied. Follow any additional steps from zFont if needed if there are any extra steps.

How to change the font back

From there, you should be able to easily change your phone’s font back to its default. As we noted in the opening paragraph, not all phones are capable of changing their own font. If you don’t see an option to change fonts, you own such a device.

Where to find good fonts

The other solution, zFont, is much easier. There are lots of fonts right from within the app. You can search for them, download them, and install them all from the same place. Any font you download will show up in the Local section of the app. We tested this with the once-legendary Roboto font and it worked like a charm.

As a bonus, some OEMs let you download fonts from the OEM’s theme store. Samsung is a notable example. You can see the download font option two photos up. It’s actually quite easy, and the fonts are usually free.

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That should do it. It’s not a very complicated process. Unfortunately, there are only a few other methods, and they are quite problematic and difficult to deal with. Root access is the easiest solution for folks whose phones don’t work with this method.

FAQs

How do I change the font color on Android?

On most devices, the font color is tied into the font itself or controlled by the device’s theme engine (if it has one). We recommend trying those two solutions on your device if they are available.

Why doesn’t my new font show up everywhere?

Many apps have their own fonts independent of the system font. For example, Twitter’s official app uses Roboto on Android, Helvetica Neue on Mac, Arial on Windows, and San Francisco on iOS. Simply put, many apps don’t use the system font.

How do I change the font size?

Most Android phones should be able to increase the font size as it is an accessibility feature. Open your phone’s settings menu, tap the search bar, and type in font size. Your phone should show you the relevant section in the settings to change your font size.