How to Use Old macOS Fonts on Windows 11.

Grafiq

New Member
I recently switched from an Apple Mac system to Windows 11.

I still, of course, have a need to use the (many) fonts I used for years on my old system. Font files that are in the OpenType format are compatible with both operating systems. So, the fonts I have that are OpenType seem to be ready to use on the new system.

However, I also have many older fonts that are in other formats which don′t transition as easily, such as PostScript or TrueType. There are some tools online that convert file formats so they can be used on different operating systems and I tried some. But the ”new” fonts don’t always install or work properly.

Case in point: I have the Univers font family in PostScript on my Mac, where it worked with no problem. When I try to even copy those font files to my PC, the size of each file reads “0 kb.” So, I can‘t even install them in Windows, much less use them in apps. They also don’t have a file extension on the Mac, so I‘m not sure which extension the should use in Windows.

Another example: Helvetica Neue worked fine in Mac as a TrueType font. Using an online conversion site, I converted a couple of the typefaces to OpenType. Windows recognized and installed those two files with no problem...But they won’t appear at all in Adobe apps like InDesign.

What are the best ways to move my old Mac font files to my new Windows system and have them work reliably without spending a fortune to acquire the same fonts all over again?
 
Not all fonts will work.

I used tabs trans type before and had some success.

Other than that contacting the font owners and requesting different formats would be a way to go, if you have proof of purchase.

Last thing would be to purchase the font.

..
InDesign 17.2 has an issue not showing all fonts available.

You should roll back to 17.1
 
Not all fonts will work.

I used tabs trans type before and had some success.

Other than that contacting the font owners and requesting different formats would be a way to go, if you have proof of purchase.

Last thing would be to purchase the font.

..
InDesign 17.2 has an issue not showing all fonts available.

You should roll back to 17.1
Thanks for your input, hankscorpio.
 
Some fonts you'll be able to get for free by the looks of it too, a quick google for univers showed it as being a free font now. Licensing 'stock' OS-X fonts will be an issue though because iirc some of them are OS-X exclusive.

As to what font types windows supports, truetype (.ttf usually), opentype (.otf) and postscript (.pfb or .pfm)
 
Some fonts you'll be able to get for free by the looks of it too, a quick google for univers showed it as being a free font now. Licensing 'stock' OS-X fonts will be an issue though because iirc some of them are OS-X exclusive.

As to what font types windows supports, truetype (.ttf usually), opentype (.otf) and postscript (.pfb or .pfm)
Thanks for the tip about the free fonts. I never even thought to search for those.
 
Careful with free versions. Some won't be allowed to embed to pdfs. You still might need to purchase the font to get all the permissions associated.

And Adobe is ending support for some font formats to be inline with other software and hardware already taking the same stance.

 
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