DriversRecommendedOutdated drivers can make a good PC feel brokenScan driver issues before chasing fixes manually.Scan NowOctober DealsAmazon USOctober deal check: compare before you payAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.Check DealsPC HealthRecommendedCrashes, freezes, slowdowns? Check your PC nowSpot repairable issues before they interrupt work.Check PC×
Skip to content
ThatPainter
Apple fonts

macOS Catalina Fonts: The List of Preinstalled and Downloadable Mac Fonts

Free tools Windows power users keep installed

One-click scans. No signup required.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

ThatPainter is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More

This guide covers the font inventory for macOS Catalina 10.15, using Apple’s Catalina-era font data available in the April 24, 2020 snapshot. Catalina fonts fall into three groups: fonts preinstalled and enabled by default, document-support fonts retained for compatibility, and fonts included with macOS but available to download through Font Book. Fonts installed by you or by third-party apps are a separate category.

Important: this is a historical Catalina list, not the current Mac font list in 2026. Later macOS releases added, revised, and reorganized fonts. Apple’s current system-font database is useful for comparison, but it is not a Catalina inventory.

How Catalina classifies fonts

Seeing a font in Font Book does not necessarily mean it was installed with Catalina. Font Book can display Apple system fonts, fonts installed for the current user, fonts available to all users, fonts added by applications, and fonts managed by third-party services.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
#1 Best Overall
LCD Display Opening Tool + Wheels Replacement for iMac 21.5" A1418 27" A1419 LCD Screen Removal (2012-2017)
  • 1 iMac opening wheel handle + 5 opening wheels included
  • Cuts through adhesive that secures iMac 2012-2017 LCD screens
  • Don't use inferior tools which will break your iMac LCD glass!
  • Use the only tool specifically designed to open A1418 and A1419 iMacs
  • This tool is necessary for all iMac repairs ,removals and upgrades
  • Preinstalled fonts: bundled with Catalina and normally available immediately.
  • Document-support fonts: retained for documents or Apple software that explicitly needs them. They may not appear as ordinary choices in every font menu.
  • Downloadable fonts: included in Catalina’s supported font set but not installed until downloaded in Font Book. In Catalina, these generally appear dimmed.
  • User or application fonts: installed separately and not part of Apple’s Catalina system inventory.

A font family and a font face are not the same thing. For example, Avenir Next is a family, while Avenir Next Condensed Demi Bold Italic is an individual face. The inventory below is organized primarily by family name; individual style names are retained where the Catalina source specifically identifies them.

Complete Catalina preinstalled-font inventory

The following family-level inventory reflects the Catalina list published from Apple’s system-font data. A family may contain multiple weights, widths, italics, language variants, or symbolic faces.

Family or font name Notes
Al Bayan Arabic
Al Nile Arabic
Al Tarikh Arabic
American Typewriter Includes styles such as American Typewriter Condensed Light
Andale Mono Monospaced
Apple Braille Braille
Apple Chancery Script
Apple Color Emoji Color emoji
Apple SD Gothic Neo Korean
Apple Symbols Symbols
AppleGothic Korean
AppleMyungjo Korean
Arial Sans serif
Arial Hebrew Hebrew
Arial Narrow Narrow sans serif
Arial Rounded MT Bold Rounded sans serif
Arial Unicode MS Unicode coverage
Avenir Sans serif
Avenir Next Includes multiple weights and widths, including Avenir Next Condensed Demi Bold Italic
Ayuthaya Thai
Baghdad Arabic
Bangla Bangla
Bangla Sangam MN Bangla
Baskerville Serif
Beirut Arabic
Big Caslon Serif
Bodoni 72 Serif
Bodoni Ornaments Ornaments
Bradley Hand Handwritten
Brush Script MT Script
Chalkboard Display
Chalkboard SE Display
Chalkduster Display
Charter Serif
Cochin Serif
Comic Sans MS Display
Copperplate Display
Courier Monospaced
Courier New Monospaced
Damascus Arabic
Georgia Serif
Gill Sans Sans serif
Helvetica Sans serif
Helvetica Neue Sans serif
Hoefler Text Serif
Impact Display
Iowan Old Style Serif
Kailasa Devanagari
Kannada MN Kannada
Kefa Arabic
Khmer MN Khmer
Kohinoor Indic script family
Kozuka Gothic Pro Japanese
Lao MN Lao
Lato Sans serif
Lucida Grande Sans serif
Marker Felt Handwritten
Menlo Monospaced
Microsoft Sans Serif Sans serif
Mishafi Arabic
Monaco Monospaced
MoolBoran Khmer
Mukta Mahee Gurmukhi
Myanmar MN Myanmar
Nadeem Arabic
Noteworthy Handwritten
Noto Nastaliq Urdu Urdu
Noto Sans Sans serif
Noto Sans Armenian Armenian
Noto Sans Georgian Georgian
Noto Sans Kannada Kannada
Noto Sans Kannada UI Kannada
Noto Sans Myanmar Myanmar
Noto Sans Oriya Oriya
Noto Sans Tamil Tamil
Noto Sans Telugu Telugu
Noto Serif Armenian Armenian
Noto Serif Georgian Georgian
Noto Serif Kannada Kannada
Noto Serif Myanmar Myanmar
Noto Serif Yezidi Yezidi
Optima Sans serif
Palatino Serif
Party LET Display
PingFang Chinese
Plantagenet Cherokee Cherokee
Raanana Hebrew
Rockwell Slab serif
San Francisco Apple interface family
Savoye LET Script
Shree Devanagari Devanagari
SignPainter Script
Silom Thai
Skia Display
Snell Roundhand Script
Songti SC Chinese
Sathu Thai
Symbol Symbols
Tamil MN Tamil
Tamil Sangam MN Tamil
Telugu MN Telugu
Telugu Sangam MN Telugu
Thonburi Thai
Times New Roman Serif
Trattatello Display
Trebuchet MS Sans serif
Verdana Sans serif
Waseem Arabic
Webdings Symbols
Wingdings Symbols
Zapf Dingbats Symbols
Zapfino Script

This family-level presentation avoids implying that every family contains only one selectable face. Font Book may show separate regular, bold, italic, condensed, heavy, light, UI, or language-specific entries beneath a family.

Document-support fonts

Catalina also retains fonts for document compatibility and specific Apple software requirements. These should be treated separately from the ordinary preinstalled list. A document-support font may be exposed when an existing document uses that particular font, when an Apple application requests it by name, or when compatibility across macOS versions and languages requires it.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

These entries can include legacy, language, and script fonts associated with older documents and specialized writing systems. Their presence in Apple’s Catalina inventory does not mean that every one is installed, enabled, and visible in every application’s normal font picker immediately after setup. If a document reports a missing font, use Font Book and the document’s font-substitution warning to determine whether Catalina can supply it.

Downloadable fonts included with Catalina

Some fonts shipped as part of Catalina’s supported font set but were not installed automatically. In Catalina Font Book, a dimmed family or face generally indicates that it is available to download. This saves space in the default installation, but it also means that a document using the font may require an additional download before it renders as intended.

Do not assume that every historical Catalina-download entry can still be retrieved from Apple in 2026. The download service, Catalina installation, network connection, or Font Book database may prevent a historical entry from downloading. If Apple’s control is unavailable, use the original Catalina installation or recovery media, or obtain a properly licensed replacement from the original foundry or vendor. Avoid unverified font mirrors.

How to download a Catalina font in Font Book

  1. Open Font Book from the Applications folder.
  2. Select All Fonts in the sidebar.
  3. Select the dimmed font family or style.
  4. In the preview pane, click Download and confirm.

If the Download control is missing in the Information preview, switch to another preview type. If the sidebar or preview pane is hidden, use Font Book’s View menu to show the sidebar or preview. Later macOS releases may also expose download commands through Control-click > Download, Edit > Download, or a button beside the font; those labels are not identical to Catalina’s interface.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

How to install a font downloaded elsewhere

For a properly licensed .ttf, .otf, .ttc, or compatible font file:

  • Double-click the file in Finder and click Install Font.
  • In Font Book, choose File > Add Fonts to Current User, select the file, and open it.
  • Drag the file onto the Font Book icon or into the Font Book window.

Catalina supports TrueType, variable TrueType, TrueType Collection, OpenType, OpenType-SVG, and OpenType Collection formats. Legacy suitcase TrueType and PostScript Type 1 LWFN fonts may work in some circumstances but are not recommended for new installations.

“Downloadable from Apple” does not mean that a font obtained from an unrelated website is free to redistribute or embed. Obtain fonts from Apple or the original foundry/vendor and check the license before commercial use, redistribution, app bundling, or document embedding.

Where macOS stores fonts

Location Scope
/System/Library/Fonts Fonts required by macOS. Many cannot be removed or disabled.
/Library/Fonts Fonts available to all users, including some manually installed fonts.
~/Library/Fonts/ Fonts installed only for the current user.

Font Book settings can also use a user-created font library. The exact installation location depends on whether you install for the current user or all users and on your Font Book settings.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Do not delete or modify files manually inside /System/Library/Fonts. System protection may block the change, and macOS or applications may require those fonts. Manage fonts through Font Book instead.

Rank #2
Silverhill Tools ATKMMI Tool Kit for Mac Mini Computers (2010 and newer)
  • Tools required for Mac Mini computers, 2012 and newer (not for PowerPC)
  • Screwdrivers included: Phillips #00, Torx size 8, Torx size 6
  • Also included: 2mm hex key, Nylon Spudger, Logic Board removal tool, 1 plastic opening picks
  • It all comes in a handy velcro storage pouch
  • Made from high quality CRV6150 and S2 steel.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

Font Book management and repair

Organize fonts with collections

Select fonts and create collections for projects, languages, or clients. Collections organize fonts without moving or deleting the original files. Font Book can also preview typefaces and glyphs, enable or disable fonts that you installed, remove user-installed fonts, export fonts, and restore the standard font set.

Validate a font

  1. Select the font in Font Book.
  2. Choose File > Validate Selection.
  3. Review the result: green means passed, yellow indicates a warning, and red means failed.
  4. Select failed items and choose Remove Checked.

Validation is especially important when a font displays incorrectly, causes layout problems, or prevents a document from opening.

Resolve duplicate fonts

  1. Choose File > Resolve Duplicates.
  2. Choose automatic or manual resolution.
  3. Unless you have a specific reason to choose another copy, keep the version marked Active.
  4. In Font Book settings, choose whether inactive copies should be moved to the Trash.

Reset the standard font set

Use this only for serious Font Book problems, because it can make custom fonts unavailable:

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
  1. Open Font Book.
  2. Choose Font Book > Settings.
  3. Select Advanced.
  4. Click Reset Fonts.
  5. Confirm with Proceed and authenticate if prompted.

Resetting does not simply erase every font. User-installed fonts are moved to /Library/Fonts (Removed) or ~/Library/Fonts (Removed). They remain unavailable until you reinstall them. Before resetting, make sure you can recover fonts required by your documents and applications.

Why a Catalina font is missing from Word, Photoshop, Pages, or another app

  1. Confirm that the font is installed and enabled in Font Book.
  2. Validate the font.
  3. Resolve duplicate copies.
  4. Fully quit and reopen the affected application. Many applications do not refresh their font menus while open.
  5. Check whether the application supports the font format and the particular style.
  6. Check whether the document is substituting another font because the original is unavailable.
  7. If the problem affects only a third-party application, contact that application’s developer.

Adobe specifically notes that applications may need to be restarted before newly activated fonts appear. Apple likewise directs users to the third-party developer for application-specific failures such as fonts not appearing in Microsoft Word.

Catalina versus newer macOS releases

A Mac running Sonoma, Sequoia, Tahoe, or another later release may not show exactly this inventory. Apple changes its system fonts over time by adding families, updating files, changing platform classifications, and altering which fonts are installed or downloadable. Use Apple’s current system-font database only when you need current-release information; it should not be substituted for the Catalina 10.15 snapshot.

Licensing and commercial use

Fonts bundled with macOS can be used by software running on the Mac, but font use, embedding, redistribution, and bundling are separate licensing questions. A design that uses a font is not the same as distributing the font file. Check Apple’s applicable license and any original foundry/vendor terms before embedding or redistributing a font.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

You do not need a paid font manager merely to find, download, validate, or organize Catalina fonts. A service such as Adobe Fonts is relevant when you need a broader licensed library, synchronized fonts across Adobe applications, or fonts not included with Catalina.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is a Catalina font dimmed in Font Book?

It is typically included as a downloadable font rather than installed. Select it in Font Book and use Download if the control is available.

Can I delete Apple system fonts?

Do not manually delete files from /System/Library/Fonts. Many system fonts are protected or required by macOS; manage eligible fonts through Font Book.

Why does a font appear in Font Book but not Word?

Confirm it is enabled, validate it, resolve duplicates, and fully restart Word. If it remains missing only in Word, contact Microsoft because application support can differ.

What’s actually slowing this PC down?

Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

How do I recover fonts after resetting Font Book?

Check /Library/Fonts (Removed) and ~/Library/Fonts (Removed), then reinstall the required fonts from those folders or their original licensed source.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1
LCD Display Opening Tool + Wheels Replacement for iMac 21.5' A1418 27' A1419 LCD Screen Removal (2012-2017)
LCD Display Opening Tool + Wheels Replacement for iMac 21.5" A1418 27" A1419 LCD Screen Removal (2012-2017)
1 iMac opening wheel handle + 5 opening wheels included; Cuts through adhesive that secures iMac 2012-2017 LCD screens
$6.99
Bestseller No. 2
Silverhill Tools ATKMMI Tool Kit for Mac Mini Computers (2010 and newer)
Silverhill Tools ATKMMI Tool Kit for Mac Mini Computers (2010 and newer)
Tools required for Mac Mini computers, 2012 and newer (not for PowerPC); Screwdrivers included: Phillips #00, Torx size 8, Torx size 6
$9.99

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Read next

Recommended PC Tool
Recommended PC Tool
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?Free scan - under a minute
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You DownFree scan - exact matches

Two free Windows tools

One Free Minute Could Fix That PC

Before you go - each of these free tools takes about a minute and tackles what quietly slows a Windows PC down.

Special offer. View Outbyte info, uninstall instructions, EULA, and Privacy Policy.