Adobe Fonts offers some of the most varied font options available from any one program. Because these fonts can really bring a lot to the projects you’re working on in other Adobe software, you’ve got to wonder if they can be used in other applications as well. So, can you use Adobe Fonts outside of Adobe software?

Adobe Fonts can be used outside of Adobe software if they are activated in the Creative Cloud. Once activated, they can usually be found in the regular font menus of all your desktop programs like Microsoft Word or your design software. 

If you’re looking to take advantage of Adobe Fonts, even outside of Adobe software, you’ve come to the right place. In our guide below we will dive into what applications are compatible with Adobe Fonts as well as whether or not you need a subscription. We’ll even provide you with a step-by-step example of how to import Adobe Fonts into applications like Microsoft Word. 

Can You Use Adobe Fonts in Other Applications 

Adobe offers some of the most unique fonts out there. While it’s a given that those fonts can be activated and used within Adobe’s own software, it may not be as obvious whether they can be for other programs as well. 

Adobe Fonts can be activated and used in applications ranging from Microsoft Office to InDesign. 

What Programs Are Adobe Fonts Compatible With?

Now that you know you can use adobe fonts in other apps, you may be wondering what ones are compatible.

Adobe Fonts should be compatible with all of your desktop programs. This includes programs like Microsoft Word, In-Design, and other popular programs. Basically any program with access to the fonts installed on your computer. 

In the next section, we will take things a step further and discuss how you activate Adobe Fonts for desktop programs like Microsoft Word.  

How Do I Use Adobe Fonts in Microsoft Word?

Microsoft Word is one of the most popular programs to use Adobe Fonts with. Therefore, it makes for a great example of how Adobe Fonts can be imported and used in a non-Adobe program. 

Follow the steps below to activate Adobe Fonts for your desktop programs like Microsoft Word:

1. Open Creative Cloud: Find the desktop app or the icon on your taskbar and open Creative Cloud. It’s from here that you will be able to get into your Adobe fonts and both activate or deactivate them. 
2. Click the fonts icon: The fonts icon should be located near the upper right corner of your screen. It looks like a lowercase f. Click it. 
3. Browse for the font you want: Near the bottom of the window, you should see a blue button that says “browse fonts” on it. Click it and begin searching for the font you want to activate. You can either look for the font by name or use the search tools available within the Creative Cloud app. 
4. Select your font and toggle it to active: Now you can select a font or family of fonts and go to the Activate Fonts menu. From here you can toggle them to active. 
5. Open Microsoft Word and search for the font: Now you just need to open Microsoft Word–or any other desktop program–and check where you would normally change the font to see if your new font is now on the menu. 

It’s important to note this works for more than just Microsoft Word. Once you’ve activated a font it should now be available in the menus of all the programs that use your computer’s fonts. 

How to Deactivate Adobe Fonts 

If you ever decide you want to deactivate your Adobe Fonts then you’ll want to know the most efficient way to do it. While you could follow the same steps you took to get to each font when you activated them, then toggle them off one by one, there is a much faster way to do it. 

Follow the steps below to deactivate all of your Adobe fonts at once: 

1. Open Creative Cloud: Like when you activated your fonts, you will need to deactivate them within Creative Cloud. You can either click the icon on your desktop or to where you have pinned it on the taskbar. 
2. Click the fonts icon: The fonts icon should take you to the font menu. The fonts icon is located near the top of the window. It is a lower-case f. 
3. Click for more options and deactivate fonts: In the upper right of the window, you should see an icon with three dots. These mean “more options,” click them. You will then be greeted with a dropdown menu that allows you to either deactivate all fonts not in use” or to just “deactivate all fonts.” 

You can decide which you would like to deactivate. If you choose to deactivate all that are not in use none of your projects in your desktop programs should be disturbed. 

Can You Use Adobe Fonts Without a Subscription

Let’s say you use Adobe’s fonts, but you only use them in non-Adobe software. Do you still need a subscription to Adobe Fonts? 

You will still need to have a subscription to Adobe Fonts, even if you’re using their fonts in non-Adobe programs. This is because a subscription is required to activate the fonts in the first place. 

So Really, Can You Use Adobe Fonts Outside of Adobe Software?

The bottom line is this, Adobe fonts absolutely can be used in programs outside of just Adobe’s own software. Generally, after you activate an Adobe font in Creative Cloud it should show up on whatever font menu a given program uses. With Microsoft Word, for example, it would be found on the toolbar where you typically go to change the font. 

It is important to note that you will still need a subscription to Adobe Fonts through Creative Cloud in order to use the fonts. If you ever do find that you need to deactivate all of your fonts at once you can do it by going onto the font menu in Creative Cloud, clicking for more options and selecting “deactivate all fonts.”