If you’ve ever wanted to use a different font on your WordPress site, something other than what your theme came with, you’ve probably run into a wall. You’d need a plugin, or a developer, or at least some comfort with copying and pasting code.
WordPress 7.0 changes that. There’s now a built-in Font Manager that anyone can use. You can upload a custom font, grab one from Google Fonts, and get it showing up on your site in just a few minutes.
And if you’re using one of our themes, the whole thing slots together in a way we think you’ll really appreciate. But more on that below, here’s how it all works.
TL;DR: WordPress 7.0 introduces a built-in Font Library under Appearance → Fonts, making it easy to upload custom fonts or add Google Fonts directly to your site. Fonts are hosted locally for better performance and improved privacy. If you’re using one of our themes, just enter the font name in the Typography panel in the Customizer and you’re all set. No code, no extra setup.
Table of Contents
- What Is the WordPress 7.0 Font Manager?
- Why Does It Matter Where Your Fonts Are Hosted?
- How to Find the Font Manager in WordPress 7.0
- How to Upload Your Own Font
- How to Add a Google Font (Hosted on Your Own Site)
- Which Font File Format Should You Use?
- How to Apply Your Font Using the Site Editor
- Using One of Our WordPress Themes? Here’s the Even Easier Way
- A Few Things to Watch Out For
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the WordPress 7.0 Font Manager?
WordPress has had a font management screen since version 6.5, but it only worked with a specific type of theme called a block theme. Most regular WordPress themes, the kind that use the familiar Customizer, were left out entirely.
WordPress 7.0 fixed that. The Font Manager is now available to everyone, whatever theme you’re using. You’ll find it under Appearance → Fonts in your WordPress dashboard, and from there you can:
- Upload font files from your computer
- Browse and add fonts from Google Fonts
- Preview fonts before committing to them
- Remove fonts you no longer need
And it all happens without touching a single line of code or installing anything extra.
Why Does It Matter Where Your Fonts Are Hosted?
Most WordPress themes load fonts from Google’s servers by default. It works fine on the surface, but there are two reasons you might want to change that.
It’s better for your site’s speed
Every time someone visits your site, their browser has to reach out to Google’s servers just to download the font before it can show your text. Hosting the font on your own site cuts out that extra step, so pages load a little faster, which is good for visitors and good for your Google rankings.
It’s better for privacy (especially in Europe)
When a visitor’s browser loads a font from Google, their IP address is sent to Google in the process. In the EU, that counts as sharing personal data with a third party, and several courts (particularly in Germany) have ruled against websites that do this without asking users first. Hosting fonts yourself means no data leaves your site, so there’s nothing to worry about.
The good news is that the Font Manager handles all of this for you automatically. When you add a Google Font through the Font Manager, WordPress downloads the font files and saves them to your own server. You get the font you want, hosted privately, without having to think about the technical side.
How to Find the Font Manager in WordPress 7.0
Once you’ve updated to WordPress 7.0, the Font Manager is ready to use straight away.
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard
- Go to Appearance → Fonts
That’s it. You’ll see any fonts your theme already includes, plus the options to upload new ones or browse Google Fonts.
How to Upload Your Own Font
If you have a font file on your computer, something you’ve downloaded or licensed, here’s how to get it into WordPress:
- Go to Appearance → Fonts
- Click the Upload tab
- Click Upload Font and choose your file
- Check that the font name looks right, and set the weight (Regular, Bold, etc.) and style (Normal, Italic) for each file
- Click Install
That’s the whole process. The font is now installed on your site and ready to use.
If you have the same font in multiple weights (Regular and Bold) upload them at the same time so they’re grouped together as one font family.
How to Add a Google Font (Hosted on Your Own Site)
This is probably the most useful thing the Font Manager does. You get the huge Google Fonts library to choose from, but the files end up on your server instead of Google’s.
- Go to Appearance → Fonts
- Click the Install Fonts tab
- Click Allow access to Google Fonts button
- Search for the font you want by using the arrow icon or the search field.
- Tick the weights you need, usually Regular (400) and Bold (700) is enough for most sites
- Click the Install button in the bottom right corner
WordPress downloads the files and adds the font to your library, under the Library tab. From here it works exactly the same as a font you uploaded yourself.
❌ Before: Your theme loaded fonts directly from Google on every page load, sending visitor data to a third-party server.
âś… After: The same fonts load from your own site. Faster, private, and no compliance headaches.
Tip: Only add the font weights you’ll actually use. Each weight is a separate file your visitors’ browsers download. Regular and Bold covers most design, there’s rarely a reason to load six different weights.
Which Font File Format Should You Use?
If you’re uploading your own font file, the Font Manager accepts WOFF2, WOFF, TTF, and OTF. Here’s the short version of what to pick:
- WOFF2 is the one to use if you have the choice. It’s the most modern format, loads the fastest, and works in all current browsers. Always go with WOFF2 if it’s available.
- TTF or OTF are the original font file formats, more commonly found when downloading from font sites. They work fine, but the files are bigger than WOFF2, so your site will load slightly slower. If you only have TTF or OTF files, you can convert them to WOFF2 for free using Squoosh or FontSquirrel’s Webfont Generator before uploading.
If you’re getting a font from a designer or font marketplace, ask for WOFF2. It’s the web standard and what most professional font providers supply by default.
How to Apply Your Font Using the Site Editor
If you’re using a block theme, applying your new font is done through the Site Editor.
- Go to Appearance → Editor
- Click Styles (the half-circle icon in the top-right corner)
- Click Typography
- Click the font name next to Text or Headings to open the font picker
- Choose your font from the list
- Click Save
You can set a different font for headings and body text, one of the most effective things you can do to give a site its own personality. A distinctive heading font paired with a clean, readable body font goes a long way.
Using One of Our WordPress Themes? Here’s the Even Easier Way
If your site runs on one of our WordPress themes, you don’t need the Site Editor at all.
Every theme we build includes a Typography panel right inside the Customizer, with dedicated fields for your heading font, body font and other sections.
We designed it to work hand-in-hand with the WordPress Font Manager, so the two feel like one joined-up workflow rather than two separate systems.
Once you’ve installed a font through Appearance → Fonts, all you do is:
- Go to Appearance → Customize → Typography
- Type the font name into one of the “Font Family” field settings, exactly as it appears in the Font Library (for example Inter or Playfair Display)
- Click Publish
Your font is applied across the whole site. No code, no extra plugins, no fiddling around.
This works for any font you’ve added through the Font Manager, something you’ve uploaded yourself, a Google Font hosted locally, or anything else.
❌ Old approach: Find a font plugin, set it up separately, hope it plays nicely with your theme’s typography settings, troubleshoot when it doesn’t.
✅ With one of our themes: Install your font through Appearance → Fonts, type the name into the Typography panel, publish. Done in two minutes.
Make sure you type the font name exactly as it appears in the Font Library, including capital letters and spaces. For example, Playfair Display not playfair display.
Now, to remove the theme default Google Font connection, you can go to Appearance → Customize → Typography → Settings and turn on the “Disable Google Font Connection” setting and save the settings.
A Few Things to Watch Out For
Don’t upload font weights you won’t use
Every font weight you install is a file your visitors have to download. Uploading all available weights “just in case” adds unnecessary load time. Stick to the weights your design actually uses, Regular and Bold covers most sites.
If you switch away from a Google Fonts plugin, remove it
If you were using a plugin to load fonts before, and you’re now using the Font Manager instead, deactivate the plugin for the fonts you’ve moved over. Otherwise the same font will be loaded twice, once by the plugin and once by WordPress, which slows things down without any benefit.
TTF files are bigger than WOFF2 (convert if you can)
If you’re uploading your own font files and only have TTF or OTF versions, it’s worth converting them to WOFF2 first. The file size difference is significant (often 30–50% smaller), which means faster loading for your visitors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to update my theme to use the Font Manager?
No. As of WordPress 7.0 the Font Manager works with all theme types: classic, hybrid, and block. You just need to be on WordPress 7.0 or later.
Will my existing fonts break after updating to WordPress 7.0?
No. Anything already set up on your site, whether through a plugin, your theme, or Google Fonts, carries on working after the update. The Font Manager adds new options, it doesn’t remove anything.
I’m using one of your themes. Where do I apply the font once it’s installed?
Go to Appearance → Customize → Typography, where you’ll find the typography settings for each section. Enter the font name in the “Font Family” field.
Fonts installed through the Font Manager can be used throughout the theme by simply entering the font name in the appropriate “Font Family” field.
Can I use the Font Manager alongside Elementor or another page builder?
Fonts you install through the Font Manager are available to WordPress as a whole, but page builders often have their own font systems running in parallel. You may find it easier to use your page builder’s own font settings for content built inside it. For anything outside the page builder (headers, footers, global styles) the Font Manager and your theme’s Customizer settings are the right place.
Does this mean I can uninstall my Google Fonts plugin?
Probably, yes. If you were using a plugin just to host Google Fonts locally or upload custom fonts, the Font Manager now does that natively. Once you’ve moved your fonts over, you can deactivate the plugin. Just make sure the fonts still look right on your site before removing it permanently.
