Check for a specific font family for a product catalog

Your catalog layout calls for a particular font family, but you are not sure whether it is installed on the computer. A similar-looking font or a filename that seems right is not enough: the family name, available styles, and characters you need all matter.

Use the Installed Fonts tool to inspect the fonts your browser can access and preview sample catalog text. This can help you catch a missing family before you build pages or send the catalog to print.

Check whether the font family is installed

Open the font list. Use the Installed Fonts tool in Chrome or Edge on a computer. Font access is limited in other browsers, so switch browsers if the list is unavailable or incomplete.
Allow font access if asked. The browser may ask for permission to inspect installed fonts. Allow access for the test. Without it, the page may not be able to show your system's font list.
Look for the family name. Check the font list for the exact family specified in your catalog brief. Compare the family name, not only a font file name or a similar brand name.
Preview realistic catalog copy. Enter a few examples of the text you will use, such as a long product name, an item number, accented letters, and prices with your currency symbol. Check that the letters and numbers are distinct and readable.
Check the styles you need. If the catalog calls for regular, bold, or italic text, confirm those styles are available in the family. A family can be installed even if a particular weight or style is missing.

Font availability can differ between computers. Run the check on the computer where the catalog will be designed, not only on a machine where you received the brief or reviewed a mockup.

What the result means

The exact family appears and the sample looks right

The browser can access that font family on this computer. Check your sample carefully at the size and style you expect to use. A family name appearing in the list does not prove every weight, special character, or font feature will work in your catalog application.

A related name appears, but not the exact family

You may have a different font with a similar name, a separate family from the same type designer, or a style name rather than the family name. Compare the name in the catalog specification with the family shown by the tool. For more on why names differ, see why a font's family name differs from its file name.

The family is missing from the list

The font may not be installed for this computer account, or the browser may not have permission to list installed fonts. It is also possible that the family is installed under another name. Check the operating system's font collection before installing anything again.

The family appears, but sample characters or styles look wrong

The installed font may lack a needed character or style, or the application may be substituting another font. This matters for accented names, symbols, bold headings, and italic product descriptions. Test the same sample in the catalog application before laying out every page.

How to fix a missing or incomplete font

Confirm the required name. Check the catalog brief or ask the person who supplied it whether the name refers to a family, a style, or a font file. Do not substitute a similar-looking font without approval, because spacing and line breaks can change.
Check the computer's font collection. On Windows 11, open Settings › Personalization › Fonts and look for the family. On macOS, open Font Book and search for the family name. Check whether the required styles are listed as well.
Install the font from an authorized source. If it is absent, get the correct font files from the licensed supplier, your organization, or the font's authorized distributor. Follow the installation instructions that came with the font. Avoid installing a similarly named download from an unknown source.
Reopen the browser and catalog application. After installing fonts, close and reopen the app that needs them. Reload the Installed Fonts page and check again. Some applications do not update their font lists until they restart.
Test the font in the actual layout. Choose the family and styles in your catalog application, then inspect product names, numbers, prices, and symbols. A browser preview is useful for checking availability, but it cannot confirm that another application will use the font correctly.
Check the delivery requirements. If someone else will edit the catalog, ask whether they need the font installed too. Follow the font license and your publishing workflow when sharing font files or exporting a document. A font available on your computer is not automatically available on a printer's or colleague's computer.

What the font check cannot confirm

The Installed Fonts tool checks what the browser can access on the computer you are using. It does not verify that a font is licensed for commercial catalog use, that it will appear on another person's computer, or that a print shop can use it. It also cannot guarantee that your design application will use the same font instead of substituting another one.

For a reliable handoff, confirm the family and styles in the catalog application, then follow the application's export requirements. If your team uses a PDF, check the exported file in the intended viewing or print workflow and confirm that the font has been embedded when required.