Font Book can show your fonts in different views:

1. Grid View: Go to View > View As Grid or press ⌘+1. In this view, each font shows as a thumbnail with a few characters. It’s perfect for a quick glance at all your fonts.

2. Samples View: Want a closer look? Choose View > View As Samples or press ⌘+2. Each font appears in a full-width preview with a “The quick brown fox…” sentence example. You can’t see many fonts at once, but it’s great for checking out how each font looks in practice.

3. List View: For a details-first approach, go to View > View As List or press ⌘+3. This sorts your fonts into a list, with font families in expandable sections, similar to folders in Finder. Click to expand or collapse them.

• Another way to switch between the Grid, Samples, and List views is by clicking the relevant icons on the toolbar.
• To check out a font or font family in more detail, double click it. The font pops up in the main part of the window. To change the size of your fonts when previewing them in Font Book, use the slider at the top (with the minus and plus symbol on either side).

How to Install a Font

If a default system font within Font Book is colored gray instead of black, it means the font isn’t downloaded to your local machine.

• To fix that, right-click it and select “Download.” The font is automatically activated, so you don’t need to worry about that.
• If you want to go beyond the default fonts included with macOS, there are plenty of free font websites. To install a new font you’ve downloaded, double-click the font in Finder, and Font Book opens and shows you a preview. Click “Install” and you’re all set.
• If you prefer installing a font from Font Book, go to File > Add Fonts (or press ⌘+O). A window opens where you can choose the font(s) you want to install. Once ready, click “Open”
• Avoid going overboard with font installations. Installing more fonts than you actually use can lead to sluggish performance in certain apps and create an overwhelming font menu.