Some Office apps let you embed fonts in your documents. That way, if you share your document with someone else, the fonts, layout, and styling of the document won't change, and special characters won't turn into meaningless rectangles.

Embed fonts in Word or PowerPoint
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Click the File tab and then click Options.
(In Office 2007, click the Office Button in the upper left corner and then click the Options button.)
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In the left column, select the Save tab.
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At the bottom, under Preserve fidelity when sharing this presentation, select the Embed fonts in the file check box.
Leaving that check box blank (or selecting Embed all characters in Office 2007) increases the file size, but is best for allowing others to edit the document and keep the same font.
Selecting Embed only the characters used in the presentation reduces the file size but limits editing of the file using the same font.
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Click OK.
What about embedding fonts in Excel?
Excel doesn't have the Embed Fonts feature. Therefore, you can't embed a font directly into an Excel file like you can with Word or PowerPoint, but there is workaround: Embed a font in a Word document, as described above, then copy data from an Excel workbook into the Word document, and finally apply the embedded font to the data you copied in from Excel. (You must keep the Excel data in the Word document for the font to remain as it is.)
Recommendations for embedding fonts
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When embedding a font, avoid using Embed only the characters used in the presentation. It is better to embed all the characters in a font so that another user can successfully edit the file, if necessary.
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Use OpenType (.OTF) or TrueType (.TTF), if possible. OpenType fonts consume the least storage space when embedded in an Office document.
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Avoid embedding Postscript fonts (.PFB, .PFM) if possible. Some users report having difficulty opening an Office document that has a Postscript font embedded in it.
Troubleshooting
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Is your font installed? Make sure the font you want to embed is installed by double-clicking it and selecting Install when Windows Font Viewer opens.
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Is embedding your font still not working? Not all TrueType fonts can be embedded. Font creators can set different options for their fonts, including: Non-embeddable, Preview/Print, Editable, and Installable. To see what level of embedding your installed font is, go to Control Panel in Windows and click Fonts. Clicking on the font shows the Font embeddability setting.
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Is your file size too large after embedding fonts? Certain fonts can be very large compared to others, so if file size is a concern, consider using alternative fonts. If you want to remove the embedding, you can turn off the Embed setting in the File > Options dialog box (described above) and save the file. Then, once you close and re-open the file, a different font is substituted for the font that had been embedded previously.
- Which version of Office for macOS are you using?
- Office 365 / 2019 for Mac
- Office 2016 for Mac
- Office 2011 for Mac
In PowerPoint for Office 365 for Mac and PowerPoint 2019 for Mac, you can embed fonts in a presentation.
Word 2019 for Mac and Excel 2019 for Mac don't support embedded fonts.
Embed fonts in a presentation file
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Open a presentation file.
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On the PowerPoint menu, select Preferences.
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In the dialog box, under Output and Sharing, select Save.
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Under Font Embedding, select Embed fonts in the file.
When you save the file, the fonts used in it will be embedded in the presentation file.
For a description of how to embed a font using PowerPoint on a PC, see Embed fonts.
Recommendations for embedding fonts
-
When embedding a font, avoid using Embed only the characters used in the presentation. It is better to embed all the characters in a font so that another user can successfully edit the file, if necessary.
-
Use OpenType (.OTF) or TrueType (.TTF), if possible. OpenType fonts consume the least storage space when embedded in an Office document.
-
Avoid embedding Postscript fonts (.PFB, .PFM) if possible. Some users report having difficulty opening an Office document that has a Postscript font embedded in it.
Troubleshooting
-
Is embedding your font still not working? Not all TrueType fonts can be embedded. Font creators can set different options for their fonts, including: Non-embeddable, Preview/Print, Editable, and Installable. To see what level of embedding your installed font is, go to Control Panel in Windows and click Fonts. Clicking on the font shows the Font embeddability setting.
-
Is your file size too large after embedding fonts? Certain fonts can be very large compared to others, so if file size is a concern, consider using alternative fonts. If you want to remove the embedding, you can turn off the Embed setting in the Preferences dialog box (described in the procedure above) and save the file. Then, once you close and re-open the file, a different font is substituted for the font that had been embedded previously.
Requirements for embedded fonts
![]() | Applies to |
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Save embedded fonts in a file |
PowerPoint for Office 365, version 16.17 |
PowerPoint 2016 for Mac correctly displays fonts that have been embedded in the file.
The other Office 2016 for Mac apps don't support embedded fonts.
Requirements for displaying embedded fonts
![]() | Applies to |
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Display fonts that have been embedded |
PowerPoint 2016 for Mac, version 16.11 |
Embedded fonts aren't supported in Office for Mac 2011.