Overview

Anitype offers three different ways to choose the font used in your animation:

  1. Pre-selected fonts (built into the dropdown)
  2. Any font installed on your computer
  3. Google Fonts (built into Anitype)
Note: The selected font will be reflected in the Text Field of the main page.

Pre-selected Fonts

The font dropdown includes:

  • Six commonly used system fonts (e.g., Arial, Courier New, Times New Roman)
  • A curated selection of 23 Google Fonts

Simply click a font in the dropdown to apply it to your animated text.

Installed Fonts

To use a font installed on your computer:

  1. In the font dropdown, choose Custom.
  2. Type the exact name of the installed font in the input field.

Important note about exact names

You must type the font name exactly as your operating system recognizes it — not the filename, and not a guess. Capitalized letters in the name are also important.

Examples:

  • Typing Calibri works because the system font name is simply “Calibri”.
  • A font installed as Accent may actually need to be typed as Accent SF.
  • Cold Spaghetti must be typed as Coldspaghetti BTN.

How to find the exact name of an installed font

Anitype's System Font Viewer

If you want an easy way to see the exact names of all the fonts installed on your computer, we’ve created a companion tool called the System Fonts Viewer. This small web app scans your system fonts (with your permission) and displays them in a clean, searchable list.

To access the System Font Viewer, open Font Tools in the top right menu of the Anitype main page and click the System Fonts Viewer link.

Note: The System Fonts Viewer works only in Chromium‑based browsers (Chrome, Edge, Opera, Brave, Vivaldi). Firefox, Safari, and other non‑Chromium browsers do not support the required font‑access feature and cannot scan system fonts.

When you open the page, you’ll see two options:

  • Scan System Fonts — Clicking this button prompts your browser to ask whether you want to allow the page to read your installed fonts. This permission is required for the tool to work.
  • Security and Privacy Info — A link explaining what the tool does and what the potential privacy considerations are, so you can make an informed choice.

After you allow the scan, the viewer loads a complete list of your installed fonts. Each font appears with:

  • Its exact internal name (the one you must type into Anitype)
  • A preview showing how the font looks
  • A Copy Font Name button so you can paste the correct name directly into Anitype

At the top of the page, you’ll also find:

  • A search field to filter fonts by name in real time
  • A Change Preview Text field so you can change the sample text shown for each font

This tool is the fastest and most reliable way to find the precise font names recognized by your operating system, especially for fonts whose internal names differ from their file names.

Alternative ways to find font names

If your browser doesn't support our System Font Viewer here are some alternative ways to find the exact name of a font:

On Windows

  1. Open the Start menu and type: Font.
  2. Open Font settings.
  3. Browse your installed fonts.
  4. Click a font to view its Full name — this is the name you must type in Anitype.

On macOS

  1. Open Font Book (via Spotlight).
  2. Browse your fonts and click one to see its exact name.

On Linux

  • Fonts are typically stored in /usr/share/fontsor ~/.fonts
  • Use the command fc-list in the terminal to list all installed fonts with their exact names.

In Shotcut

If you're a Shotcut user, you already have an easy method:

  1. Launch Shotcut.
  2. Go to File > New and choose Text.
  3. Select Simple and click Add to Timeline.
  4. In the Filters panel, click the font selector.
  5. Browse and select a font.
  6. Copy the font name shown.
  7. Paste it into the Custom Font field in Anitype.

Using font styles

Some fonts include multiple styles beyond Regular, Bold, or Italic.
For example, Montserrat might include these styles:

Regular, Italic, Light, Hairline, Semi Bold, Ultra Light, Bold, Extra Bold, Black.

For these fonts, you can type the style directly after the font name (Note: the style name doesn't require capital letters):

  • Montserrat black
  • Montserrat hairline

This applies only to fonts whose internal names include these style variations.

Font styles restrictions

  • Do not use the Regular, Italic or Bold styles with the font name. If you need to apply a bold or italic style to your text, use the Font styles buttons.
  • Some styles in Shotcut are shown using two words, like Semi Bold or Ultra Light. If these styles don't work in Anitype, try semibold or ultralight instead.

Using Google Fonts

We've also created a companion app called Google Fonts Viewer that you can use to view ALL available Google Fonts, including any new fonts Google might add in the future.

The tool makes it easy to copy the font names that will work directly in Anitype's Custom Font field.

To use a Google Font:

  1. In Anitype, go to the top-right menu, open the Tools dropdown and click the Google Fonts Viewer link.
  2. Browse the list of fonts.
  3. Choose a font.
  4. Click the related Copy Font Name button on the right side of the screen.
  5. Paste the font name into the Custom Font field in Anitype.

Some Google Fonts already have set colors. Like the Bungee Spice font for example.

Due to technical reasons, the color of these fonts can’t be changed in Anitype.

Other examples are: Bungee Tint, Nabla, FolditStyle or Noto Color Emoji.

Troubleshooting Fonts

If your selected font doesn’t appear correctly in Text Field or the Preview Pages, here are a few common issues and how to fix them.

Custom Font isn’t working

  • Double-check that you typed the exact internal font name.
    Even small differences (extra spaces, missing style names, wrong capitalization) can prevent the font from loading.
  • Confirm that the font is actually installed on your computer.
    If you recently installed it, restarting your browser may help.

The font name looks correct, but Anitype still doesn’t load it

  • Some fonts have multiple internal names.
    Try checking the font in:
    • Windows Font Settings
    • macOS Font Book
    • Linux fc-list
    • Shotcut’s font selector
  • If the font has multiple styles (e.g., Light, Black, Hairline), try including the style in the name:
    For example: Montserrat Black, Montserrat Hairline, etc.

The font loads, but looks different than expected

  • Some fonts include stylistic alternates or special weights that may not be available in the browser version.
  • There is no universal standard for how large a font appears on screen. Two different fonts set to 50‑px may look noticeably different in size because each typeface defines its own proportions and internal metrics. The best approach is simply to adjust the value until the text looks right for your project.

The font loads, but spacing or alignment looks off

Conclusion

Choosing the right font in Anitype is usually straightforward, whether you rely on the built‑in list, use a font installed on your computer, or pick one from our Google Fonts page.

The only time things get a little tricky is when entering Custom Fonts, since you must type the exact internal font name used by your operating system. Once you know where to find that name, though, the process becomes simple and reliable.

With these tools and tips, you can confidently use almost any font you want in your animations.