Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Embedding TrueType Fonts.

Embedding TrueType Fonts

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 30, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

If you create a document that you want to share with others, it is helpful for the other people to have the fonts you use within your document. If they don't have the fonts, then Word substitutes a similar font for the original fonts you used. The result may not be to your liking. One solution is to include the fonts with your document. You can automatically embed some types of fonts by following these steps:

Choose Options from the Tools menu. Word displays the Options dialog box.
Make sure the Save tab is selected. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Save tab of the Options dialog box.

Ensure the Embed TrueType Fonts check box is selected.
If you will be using a small number of characters in a particular font, choose the Embed Characters In Use Only check box.
To save space in the document, choose the Do Not Embed Common System Fonts check box.
Click on OK.
Work with your documents as normal.

You should realize that embedding fonts can increase the size of your document files. In fact, if you use a lot of fonts, it can increase the size drastically. In addition, not all fonts are "embeddable." Some fonts are protected by their creators against distribution by embedding. If you are curious about whether a particular font can be embedded, it is best to contact the vendor and ask.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (558) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Embedding TrueType Fonts.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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