The secret to PowerPoint safe fonts

11/05/26

PowerPoint safe fonts

Finding PowerPoint safe fonts can be a minefield! There are thousands of wonderful (and weird) fonts available, and only some of them are PowerPoint safe fonts. So choosing which font to use in your presentation needs to be done carefully.

First, consider where it will be viewed. For example, if your audience is in-house only and all of your company have your house style fonts installed then there isn’t a problem with using them (just so long as everyone has them installed that is…). However, if your house style fonts are non-standard PowerPoint fonts and the presentation is going to be viewed externally or on any machine which does not have the font installed – that’s where you could have a nasty problem.

Why do you need a PowerPoint safe font?

If your chosen PowerPoint font is non-standard (i.e. not a PowerPoint safe font) and the computer used to view the presentation doesn’t have this font installed, then PowerPoint will automatically substitute in a standard font, e.g. Calibri (the horror!) instead. This can make the presentation look very different (for example, text may wrap in odd places or fall off the slide altogether) and no one wants that. And no one wants Calibri either… Of course, since some time in 2024, the default is now the somewhat improved Aptos font. Give it a few more years, we’ll probably all hate it by then too!

What’s the solution?

Happily, you don’t need to be a font geek to fix this, there are a few simple ways to stop it from happening!

  • You could only show the slides on devices that have the correct fonts installed. But, this may not be possible if you are sending the presentation out to clients or if it is being used at a conference or other meeting where it will be loaded onto a non-company device which does not have your font installed.

 

  • Microsoft, and subscriptions to 365 usually mean a user will have access to cloud fonts. These are automatically downloaded when someone else opens your slides… if they have a 365 account AND a connection to the internet. So it’s not a guarantee, and of course, a Mac might throw a spanner in the works. These fonts include: Amasis, Aptos, Arial, Arial Nova, Congenial, Daytona, Georgia, Gill Sans, Gill Sans Nova, Grandview, News Gothic, Posterama, Rockwell, Rockwell Nova, Seaford, Segoe UI, Skeena, Tenorite, Trade Gothic Next, Verdana, Verdana Pro.

 

  • There is the option to embed a non-standard font into the PowerPoint itself. This option is limited though because it this only works for .TTF* fonts (not .OTF* fonts) and whilst previously it didn’t work at all when presentations were viewed on a Mac, Mac it seems can now also embed fonts.

 

  • If you are 100% sure that your presentation is finalised you can save it as a PDF before distribution. But, again, there is a downside to this. Although fonts are embedded automatically in PDFs, suddenly your presentation will be a lot harder to edit and any nifty animations you have added will be lost.

 

  • You could replace the font with images of the text. Yes, this will look the same, but again you have now made your presentation a lot harder to edit in the future.

 

  • The most effective solution is to replace the font with a standard (safe) PowerPoint font (e.g. Arial, Century Gothic, Verdana) instead. You can choose the font which is the closest match in terms of your house style font for a similar look and feel. The downside to this is if your house style font is particularly quirky you may not be able to find a suitable equivalent. In this case you can refer to the above options.

 

What are PowerPoint safe fonts?

We have already mentioned Arial, Century Gothic and Verdana – there are more to choose from. Other fonts that are safe to use cross-platform are Times New Roman, Times, Calibri, Courier and Courier New – to name just a few. Windows & Microsoft update the safe fonts with each new release, but you have to play it safe since not everyone gets updates at the same time. The older ones might be described as Legacy fonts. They’ve been around a while. Trebuchet, Tahoma, Georgia, Corbel, Century Gothic, Cambria, Candara, Book Antiqua, and even more listed here: article on fonts.  Something else you should bear in mind is whilst “safe” – fonts like Calibri are the default and are so over-used that frankly anything other than Calibri is a good move if you want to look even a fraction different.

*What are .TTF and .OTF fonts?

TrueType Fonts (.TTF) came first and were designed to work with on both PCs and Macs. OpenType Fonts (.OTF) were developed later to work in Adobe and Microsoft packages. The main difference between .OTF and .TTF is in the advanced typesetting features which .OTF offers. There are some extra frills such as ligatures and ‘alternate characters’ (also known as glyphs) available, that give designers more options to work with.

Of course, you can’t always see the suffix now on fonts. So look at the font properties themselves. See if they are listed as editable or installable. Whilst that will help, we conclude that fonts are still basically a bit of a nightmare in this day and age!

Further information

There are a number of webpages that will talk you through all of this in more detail:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/826832/how-to-embed-fonts-in-powerpoint

http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/difference-between-ttf-and-otf/

https://thepresentationdesigner.co.uk/5-classic-presentation-fonts/

You could also get around the font problem by sharing your slides online in HTML5 format: Host PowerPoint online with HTML5

With font selection it is better to go with a safe option.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

What are PowerPoint safe fonts and why are they important?

PowerPoint safe fonts are fonts that are commonly installed on most computers, ensuring your presentation appears as intended regardless of where it is viewed. Using PowerPoint safe fonts is crucial because if the font is not installed on the viewing computer, PowerPoint will substitute it with a standard font, potentially disrupting the layout and design of your slides.

How can I ensure my presentation looks the same on different devices?

To ensure your presentation looks the same on different devices, there are several things you can do. Use PowerPoint safe fonts such as Arial, Century Gothic, or Verdana. Embed fonts into the PowerPoint file (works primarily with .TTF fonts). Save the presentation as a PDF, which embeds fonts automatically but disables animations and makes editing difficult. Replace text with images, though this also limits future editing flexibility.

What are some common PowerPoint safe fonts I can use?

Some common PowerPoint safe fonts include Arial, Century Gothic, Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, Calibri, Courier, and Courier New. These fonts are widely available on most operating systems and ensure consistent appearance across different platforms.

What are the limitations of embedding fonts in PowerPoint presentations?

Embedding fonts in PowerPoint presentations is limited to .TTF fonts and may not work perfectly across all platforms, particularly older versions of software or non-Windows operating systems. Additionally, while Mac systems now support embedded fonts, this feature was not previously available. Using PowerPoint safe fonts is often a more reliable solution to ensure your presentation remains consistent and professional.

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