---
schema_version: "1"
id: 9afaa94324265e51af68783b63eaa140bd67916d91e735f1688a9d5df0c9d682
title: Use Custom Fonts
collection: tableau
version: next
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/tableau/next/en-us/public/desktop/formatting_create_custom_fonts.md
canonical_url: https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/public/desktop/en-us/formatting_create_custom_fonts.htm
source_site: help.tableau.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 482e64926a3231b94b72abfc03fa9271b2a0af4bd3449747f8292d31bf0bcf81
description: Use and publish custom fonts in Tableau visualizations and published workbooks.
---
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# Use Custom Fonts

Tableau provides a variety of fonts for you to use in your visualizations, including the fonts in its default typeface: Tableau. However you might want to use a font other than what's provided. For example, you may want to use a font that's unique to your company's brand.

To use a custom font in Tableau, the first step is to install it on the computers that are running Tableau. This includes Tableau Desktop and, if you're publishing to Tableau Server, any computers running Tableau Server.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> 
> If a font specified in Tableau Desktop isn't also installed on all nodes of Tableau Server, Tableau Server substitutes a default font.

To ensure that Tableau Server can render the font correctly, make sure the font is on the list of fonts installed with most browsers. These commonly installed fonts are called "web-safe" fonts, as detailed [here](https://www.cssfontstack.com/).

**Note:** If you download a workbook from Tableau Server, custom fonts are not downloaded with the workbook.

For more information about installing fonts, see the following links:

- [How to install or remove a font in Windows](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/314960) (Microsoft Knowledge Base)
- [Mac Basics: Font Book](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201749) (Apple Support)

After you install the font it appears in the formatting pane in Tableau Desktop, where you can use it to change fonts at the workbook or worksheet levels. See [Format at the Workbook Level](https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/public/desktop/en-us/formatting_workbook.htm), [Format at the Worksheet Level](https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/public/desktop/en-us/formatting_worksheet.htm), and [Format Text and Numbers](https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/public/desktop/en-us/formatting_specific.htm) for details.

## Publish custom fonts

Publishing a workbook with a custom font correctly depends on knowing how the author and published workbook interact.

<table style="width: 100%;">
                    <colgroup><col style="width: 50%;">
                    <col>
                    </colgroup><tbody>
                        <tr>
                            <td>
                                <p>
                                    <img src="https://help.tableau.com/v0.0/public/desktop/en-us/Img/Font_Flow_2.png" alt="A diagram illustrating the connections between a server, desktop, connector, and Tableau.">
                                </p>
                            </td>
                            <td>
                                <h4>Publishing a custom font work flow</h4>
                                <ol style="list-style-type: upper-alpha;">
                                    <li value="1">
                                        <p>Workbook is created in <span class="mc-variable Variables.TabsProductDesktop variable">Tableau Desktop</span>.</p>
                                        <p><span class="uicontrol">or</span>
                                        </p>
                                    </li>
                                    <li value="2">
                                        <p>Workbook is created using Web Authoring.</p>
                                    </li>
                                </ol>
                                <p><span class="uicontrol">then</span>
                                </p>
                                <ol style="list-style-type: upper-alpha;" start="3">
                                    <li value="3">
                                        <p>Workbook is published to Tableau Server.</p>
                                        <p><span class="uicontrol">or</span>
                                        </p>
                                    </li>
                                    <li value="4">
                                        <p>Workbook is published to Tableau Cloud.</p>
                                    </li>
                                </ol>
                            </td>
                        </tr>
                    </tbody>
                </table>

<table class="table--plain">
                    <tbody>
                        <tr>
                            <td>
                                <h4>If</h4>
                            </td>
                            <td>
                                <h4>Then</h4>
                            </td>
                        </tr>
                        <tr>
                            <td>
                                <p><span class="uicontrol">A</span>- The workbook is created in <span class="mc-variable Variables.TabsProductDesktop variable">Tableau Desktop</span>.</p>
                            </td>
                            <td>
                                <p>You can use any font installed on your computer in the workbook.</p>
                            </td>
                        </tr>
                        <tr>
                            <td>
                                <p><span class="uicontrol">B</span>- The workbook is created using Web Authoring.</p>
                            </td>
                            <td>
                                <p>Only fonts installed on the Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud are functional when formatting your text.</p>
                            </td>
                        </tr>
                        <tr>
                            <td>
                                <p><span class="uicontrol">C</span>- The workbook is published to Tableau Server.</p>
                            </td>
                            <td>
                                <p>Any custom font must be installed on all server nodes. </p>
                                <p>If the font is not installed on Tableau Server, the uninstall font will be replaced with a substitute font upon publishing.</p>
                            </td>
                        </tr>
                        <tr>
                            <td>
                                <p><span class="uicontrol">D</span>- The workbook is published to Tableau Cloud.</p>
                            </td>
                            <td>
                                <p>Only fonts supported by Tableau Cloud  will appear. </p>
                                <p>Any unsupported fonts in the workbook will be replaced with a substitute font upon publishing. For a list of supported fonts, see <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=001472975&amp;type=1" target="_blank">Knowledge Base: Fonts not displaying as expected</a>.</p>
                            </td>
                        </tr>
                    </tbody>
                </table>

### Troubleshoot custom fonts in published workbooks

Once published, any viewer of the published workbook will need to have the custom fonts installed on their computer. This is why it is a best practice to limit fonts to either Tableau fonts or web safe fonts.

<table style="width: 100%;mc-table-style: url('Resources/TableStyles/Shaded-NoBorder.css');" class="TableStyle-Shaded-NoBorder" cellspacing="0">
                    <colgroup><col class="Column-Column1">
                    <col class="Column-Column1">
                    </colgroup><thead>
                        <tr class="Head-Header1">
                            <th class="HeadE-Column1-Header1">
                                <h3 is="heading-item" :level="3" id="issue">Issue </h3>
                            </th>
                            <th class="HeadD-Column1-Header1">
                                <h3 is="heading-item" :level="3" id="possible-solution">Possible Solution</h3>
                            </th>
                        </tr>
                    </thead>
                    <tbody>
                        <tr class="Body-Body1">
                            <td class="BodyE-Column1-Body1">
                                <p>Some fonts are accurate in the view, but others are not.</p>
                            </td>
                            <td class="BodyD-Column1-Body1">When a view has many marks, the server will render the marks on the server side and display the marks as a static image. This can result in some fonts in  the view appearing inconsistent with the rest of the view. To resolve this issue, reduce the number of marks per view.</td>
                        </tr>
                        <tr class="Body-Body2">
                            <td class="BodyE-Column1-Body2">
                                <p>The spacing on the font appears different for different viewers.</p>
                            </td>
                            <td class="BodyD-Column1-Body2">If the viewer has the custom font installed on their computer, the viewer will see the font displayed accurately. However, each browser uses a slightly different method for rendering fonts, so seeing slight differences in fonts between browsers is expected.</td>
                        </tr>
                        <tr class="Body-Body1">
                            <td class="BodyB-Column1-Body1">
                                <p>A different font appears for viewers.</p>
                            </td>
                            <td class="BodyA-Column1-Body1">If the viewer does not have the custom font installed on their computer, any uninstalled fonts in the workbook will be replaced with a substitute font selected by the browser.</td>
                        </tr>
                    </tbody>
                </table>