How To Install Arial Font in Ubuntu?

In this article, we will guide you through the process of installing the Arial font in Ubuntu. Arial is a widely used sans-serif typeface and it’s often required for various design and document needs. While it’s a standard font in Windows, it’s not included by default in Ubuntu due to license restrictions. However, there are several ways to install it.

Method 1: Using the Terminal

The quickest way to install Arial and other Microsoft TrueType fonts is through the terminal.

1. Open a terminal window. You can do this by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or by searching for ‘terminal’ in your applications menu.
2. Run the following command:

sudo apt install ttf-mscorefonts-installer

This command uses sudo to run the operation as an administrator, apt is the package handling utility in Ubuntu, install is the command to install a new package, and ttf-mscorefonts-installer is the package that contains the Arial font along with other Microsoft fonts.

3. Next, update the font cache by running:

sudo fc-cache -f

The fc-cache command is used to build font information cache files. The -f option forces the rebuild of the cache.

4. To check if Arial is installed, run:

fc-match Arial

The fc-match command is used to match available fonts. It should return Arial.ttf: "Arial" "Regular" if the Arial font is installed correctly.

Method 2: Manual Installation

If you prefer a more hands-on approach, you can manually download and install the Arial font.

1. First, install the cabextract tool. This is a utility for extracting Microsoft cabinet files, also known as .CAB files. Run the following command to install it:

sudo apt install cabextract

2. Next, download the font package from the Fontconfig webfonts page.
3. Extract the downloaded package by running:

tar -xzf webfonts.tar.gz
cd msfonts/
cabextract *.exe

The tar command is used to extract files from an archive. The -xzf option tells tar to extract the files, use the gzip filter, and specifies the file name. The cd command is used to change the current directory. cabextract is used to extract the contents of the .exe files.

4. Move the fonts to the user’s font directory by running:

cp *.ttf *.TTF ~/.local/share/fonts/

The cp command is used to copy files or directories. The *.ttf and *.TTF are wildcard characters used to specify any file ending with .ttf or .TTF. The ~/.local/share/fonts/ is the directory where user-specific fonts are stored.

5. Finally, restart the software in which you want to use the fonts.

Conclusion

Installing the Arial font in Ubuntu can be done either through the terminal or manually. Both methods are straightforward and should not take much time. Remember to always check the licensing terms and conditions when using proprietary fonts like Arial. Happy designing!