October 1, 2020 by Hannah Wright
So you’re working on a big design project in Figma with your team when all of a sudden you get the dreaded Figma missing fonts alert! Your local fonts aren’t working in the tool!
You’ve tried multiple fixes, but nothing seems to work. Already you feel that you’ve wasted a lot of time, and you just want to get back on track.
Well, here’s the good news: there’s a fix. Well actually, there are multiple possible solutions depending on your problem.
We’ve spent hours scouring forums and gathering data to troubleshoot the problem.
And we’ve got all of those solutions here for you — so that you can get back to your project in peace!
Before we dive into the many possible solutions, let’s take a look at why it’s happening.
I don’t know about you, but before solving something, I like to first understand why on Earth it’s even occurring in the first place!
Well, this issue often happens when it cannot recognize a font on your computer that one of your teammates was using.
But, wait: there’s more to the story than just that.
So, it’s not a bug in the software — but rather a minor flaw with your font files and how they’re communicating with the program.
This is why I'd recommend trying all of the below solutions until it has been fixed.
Knock them out, process of elimination style, and you'll be back in no time!
This may sound obvious, but you’ll want to double check that the font is the same name and style as is in your file.
Why?
Because even if you have the font, you could be missing a certain font weight (IE: Fontname Medium), which could be causing the error.
User Gary Davis points this out in the Spectrum chat, after trying multiple solutions.
And hey, I’ve run into this before, too: and all I had to do was re-download the proper font weight files, making sure they matched.
And if they didn’t, I simply selected the versions on my computer with the correct style.
Now, make sure that you have the Font Help desktop application on your computer.
You can find it here under "Font Installers."
Whether you’re on the desktop or the cloud version, close and re-open Figma if you did steps #1 or #2 just now.
See if it loads now.
Ultimately, if the type still hasn’t loaded, don’t worry — you can move on to the next step.
Okay, if your type still hasn’t loaded, it could mean that the font file on your computer is corrupt or broken.
What does this mean?
Usually that there was an error with the download.
Yep, that’s right: it’s possible that you had a flawed one without even knowing it.
Blasphemy! Sacrilege!
However, the fix is simple.
Delete the existing type file on your computer.
Then re-download the type files in question on your computer.
Of course, I'm not sure which one you're using, but many of them can be found on the Google or Apple typography sites.
Sometimes this problem can occur when a colleague has the same font under a different name.
For example, if you downloaded the typography from a different source than your co-worker, your version might have a different name for each individual style.
And it's not isolated to just this type: it can happen with any, if there are inconsistencies or differences in weight names.
So, take a look at what it is named, and ensure you have that same version.
If the name is not exactly the same as your colleague’s, you can also replace it with your version.
Now, you’ll just want to make sure your changes have been applied.
To do this, replace it in the tool:
Once you click the name, you can replace it with the version on your computer.
Just make sure the “style” (in other words, the weight) is correct!
Even if it seems repetitive, re-start the program again.
If it’s STILL not working, don’t panic!
Let’s first make sure that everything’s being stored in the right place.
It sounds basic, but it’s important to double check these things.
So, what system are you using?
Linux
If you’re running Linux, it’s important to first make sure that the font(s) in question are stored in the “/usr/share/fonts” folder or $HOME/.local/share/fonts – this is a very crucial step.
Windows
Are you a Windows user? Cool. Let’s make sure everything’s being stored in the right place, shall we?
The type in question should be re-installed in C:\Windows\Fonts. Or go to the start bar and search for “Fonts” to open it up (and drag your new, freshly-installed file there).
Mac
If you’re a Mac user, your local system fonts can be found in the fonts folder in your library. You can find it over at “/Library/Fonts.” It’s always good to make sure this is stored properly.
Anyway, I hope that this guide has helped you conquer your challenge and troubleshoot these issues.
While it can be frustrating, usually you only run into this glitch once. Meaning that if it ever happens again, you can usually solve it quickly using the same method that worked this time for you, and it becomes second nature.
However, the good news it that most types will not cause these issues for you at all.
So most likely, it won’t be super common for you, and it shouldn’t discourage you because it’s pretty rare!
If you have any further problems with it, or if it wasn't solved for you, I'd highly recommend heading over to Spectrum Chat for direct support from other users like you. It's a great little community where people help each other out.
If you've finally solved it, then nice job! Now you can pour yourself a cup of coffee (or tea) and just relax.
I hope that you go on to create awesome things — error-free, of course.
Looking for some awesome pairings to try out or get inspired by? Check out this article.
PS: Want some Figma templates to help speed up your next design project so that you don't have to start from zero?