Managing fonts

Updated

The Fonts screen has two areas: Active Fonts at the top (what loads on the site) and the directory below (everything you can still add).

Browse and search

Use Search fonts... in the sidebar to filter by name. Category buttons narrow the list:

  • All, Sans Serif, Serif, Mono, Display, Handwriting

Preview Size and Preview Text in the sidebar update every card in the directory so you can judge readability before adding a family.

Add a family

Click Add to Site on a directory card. The family moves to Active Fonts with these starting weights:

  • Variable fonts start with normal weight on the full width axis when supported.
  • Static fonts enable common weights (400 and 700 when available).

Adding a font does not update Styles → Fonts stacks. Copy the Stack from the active card into the Customizer when you are ready to use the font on the site.

Edit weights and styles

Each active card lists enabled weights and styles (normal, italic, bold, and combinations). Turn off weights you do not use so the site loads fewer font files.

Variable fonts show a weight slider instead of individual weight toggles when the family supports a continuous range.

Width (variable fonts)

When a variable family supports width, choose:

  • Full axis — load the entire width range (condensed through expanded).
  • One value — pick a single width with the slider or named instances (Regular, Condensed, and so on).

Use Reset on the width controls to return to the family default.

One value at the family's default width downloads less than Full axis: the site gets a file without the other widths (for Roboto, about 40 % smaller). Pick it when the site only uses the normal width.

Single weights from the Google Fonts switch

When Appearance → Hosted Fonts moves a Google font to Dirigible Fonts, a variable family normally arrives as Variable, with every weight. If a few separate weights download much less than the variable file, the card lists just those weights (for example 400 and 700), as Google served them. Text set in another weight then shows in the nearest listed one, as it did with Google Fonts. To get every weight back, turn on Variable for that style.

Remove a family

Click Remove Font on an active card and confirm. The family returns to the directory and stops loading on the front end, block editor, and admin.

Removing a font does not clear Styles → Fonts stacks. Update those fields if the site still uses a family you removed.

What visitors see

Active families load from your site. Text shows right away in a fallback font and switches once the font file arrives. The block editor loads the same fonts, so the editor matches the live site. Font Preload and Load Italic Early under theme Settings → General control how early fonts load.