HOWTO Install fonts on Ubuntu

1. Installing fonts for single login use

 1a. using kfontview

 1b. by hand

2. Installing fonts for system wide use

3. Installing Microsoft Windows Fonts (eg. Times New Roman)




1. Installing fonts for single login use


1a. using kfontview

The easiest way to install fonts is using kfontview. Try running "kfontview" from the command line.

If you do not have kfontview installed, as root run:


# apt-get install kcontrol




This will download a few dependencies, so if you are short on disk space or simply do not want to install KDE, use the instructions in step 1b




Run "kfontview" from the command line

From the kfontview window, open the font you have downloaded.

Click on the "Install" button

NOTICE: You will probably need to resize the window to see the "Install" button which is in the lower right hand corner.

Click on the "Personal" button





1b. by hand

If ~/.fonts does not exist, create it:


$ mkdir ~/.fonts



Copy the font, from the command line, run the following:


$ cp [fontfile] ~/.fonts



From the command line, run the following:



$ fc-cache -f -v ~/.fonts



or alternatively, log out, and log back in.





2. Installing for system wide use

Make the following directory as root:


# mkdir /usr/share/fonts/truetype/myfonts




Copy the font(s) into the newly created directory:


# cp [fonts] /usr/share/fonts/truetype/myfonts



Run the following:


# fc-cache -f -v






3. Installing Windows Fonts (eg. Times New Roman)


Make sure you have the "universe" repository added. If not, as root, modify your /etc/apt/sources.list and uncomment the deb line which will look something like this:


# deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper universe



Then update apt-get:


# apt-get update



Run the following as root:


# apt-get install msttcorefonts






Tested under Ubuntu Dapper.


taken from: link