The font does not show up in my app.

Restart the app. Most programs read the font list only when they start.

Windows says the file is not a valid font.

The file is still inside the zip. Unzip first, then install the OTF or TTF from the unzipped folder.

Which file should I use: OTF, TTF or WOFF?

OTF for Windows, Mac, iPad and design apps. TTF only if a program refuses OTF. WOFF and WOFF2 are for websites and will not install on a computer.

Can I use the font commercially?

Paid fonts, yes, with the one-time price. Free fonts are free for personal use; any amount paid at checkout adds commercial rights.

How to install fonts

Every FGD font comes as an OTF and a TTF file, most also as WOFF and WOFF2 for the web. Unzip the download first, then follow the steps for your system or app. It takes about a minute.

Windows 10 and 11

Unzip the download. Inside you will find the font files, for example Marsipan-Regular.otf.
Right-click the OTF file and choose Install. Choose Install for all users if you want the font available to every account on the computer.
Open or restart the app you want to use it in. The font appears in the font list under its name.

Alternative: open Settings, go to Personalization, then Fonts, and drag the font file into the box that says Drag and drop to install. Use the OTF file; the TTF is there for older software that does not accept OTF.

Mac

Unzip the download.
Double-click the OTF file. Font Book opens with a preview.
Click Install. The font is now available to every app; restart apps that were already open.

To install several fonts at once, open Font Book, choose File, then Add Fonts to Current User, and select the files. If Font Book reports a minor warning about a duplicate, you already had an older version installed; remove the old one and install again.

iPad and iPhone, with Procreate

Save the font file to the Files app, for example in iCloud Drive or On My iPad. Unzip it there by tapping the zip.
In Procreate, open the Actions menu (the wrench), choose Add, then Add text.
Tap Aa to open Edit Style, then Import font, and pick the OTF file from Files.

Shortcut: with a text layer selected, you can also drag the font file from Files straight into Procreate. The font stays in Procreate's own list. To use a font in every iPad app, install it through a font-manager app from the App Store, which adds it as a system font; Procreate does not need that step.

Canva

Uploading your own fonts needs Canva Pro, Teams or an education plan. In the left menu open Brand, then Brand Kit.
Scroll to Brand fonts and click Upload a font. Choose the OTF, TTF or WOFF file.
Confirm you have the right to use it. FGD fonts are licensed for personal and commercial use, so you do.
In any design, open the text font picker and find the font under Uploaded fonts.

On the free Canva plan you cannot upload fonts. The workaround is to set the text in another app and import it as an image.

Cricut Design Space

Install the font on your computer first, with the Windows or Mac steps above.
Quit and reopen Design Space. Open the text tool and set the font dropdown to System.
Find the font by name. It behaves like any other font for cutting, writing and print-then-cut.

On an iPad or phone, Design Space only sees fonts installed as system fonts, so install the font with a font-manager app first. For clean cuts, pick the OTF file and keep letters above about 1 cm; very thin fonts such as Lines and Skinny Bastard cut best at larger sizes.

Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Affinity

All of these read the fonts installed on your computer. Install with the Windows or Mac steps, then restart the app, and the font appears in its font menu. Figma in the browser needs the Figma font helper (Figma offers it in the font menu) to see local fonts; the Figma desktop app sees them directly. In Adobe apps, if a font is missing from a document, the Find Fonts dialog lists it once it is installed.

Websites

Use the WOFF2 and WOFF files from the download. Upload them next to your stylesheet and add a rule like this, then use the family name in your CSS:

@font-face {
  font-family: "Marsipan";
  src: url("marsipan.woff2") format("woff2"),
       url("marsipan.woff") format("woff");
  font-display: swap;
}

The webfont files are included with every font that lists WOFF or WOFF2 on its page. Your font licence covers your own and your clients' sites; it does not allow offering the files for download.

Not working?

The font does not show up in my app.: Restart the app. Most programs read the font list only when they start.
Windows says the file is not a valid font.: The file is still inside the zip. Unzip first, then install the OTF or TTF from the unzipped folder.
Which file should I use: OTF, TTF or WOFF?: OTF for Windows, Mac, iPad and design apps. TTF only if a program refuses OTF. WOFF and WOFF2 are for websites and will not install on a computer.
Accented letters show as boxes.: The font does not include that character. Each font page lists its supported languages and shows every glyph it has.
Lowercase letters come out as capitals.: That font is uppercase only, which its page states. Bavro and Bellaboo have Pro versions with true lowercase.
Can I use the font commercially?: Paid fonts, yes, with the one-time price. Free fonts are free for personal use; any amount paid at checkout adds commercial rights. Details on the licence page.

Practice with a free font

Eight FGD fonts are free for personal use. Pick one, install it with the steps above, and you are ready for the paid ones.

See the free fonts