How To Install Microsoft Fonts on Fedora 43
Working with documents created in Microsoft Office can be frustrating when your Linux system doesn’t display them correctly. Missing fonts break formatting, alter layouts, and make professional documents look unprofessional. Fedora 43, like other Linux distributions, doesn’t include Microsoft’s proprietary fonts due to licensing restrictions. Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri, Verdana, and other popular typefaces simply aren’t available out of the box.
This guide walks you through three proven methods to install Microsoft fonts on Fedora 43. You’ll learn the recommended approach using the msttcore-fonts-installer package, manual installation from a Windows system, and advanced extraction from Windows ISO files. Each method includes complete commands, troubleshooting solutions, and verification steps. We’ll also address the critical DNF5 changes in Fedora 43 that cause installation failures if you’re not careful.
Why Microsoft Fonts Are Essential for Linux Users
Microsoft TrueType fonts have become the de facto standard for document creation and web design. When you open a Word document or PowerPoint presentation in LibreOffice without the proper fonts installed, Linux substitutes alternative typefaces that rarely match the original spacing and appearance. This creates problems for professionals who collaborate across different operating systems.
Web developers face similar challenges. Many websites specify Microsoft fonts in their CSS stylesheets, and browsers fall back to generic alternatives when those fonts are missing. The result? Web pages that don’t render as designers intended.
Beyond compatibility, Microsoft fonts offer quality typography. Times New Roman remains the academic standard. Arial dominates business correspondence. Calibri serves as Microsoft Office’s default. Consolas provides excellent monospace rendering for code editors. Installing these fonts bridges the gap between Linux and the wider computing ecosystem.
System Requirements and Prerequisites
Before starting the installation process, verify you’re running Fedora 43 by opening a terminal and typing:
cat /etc/os-releaseYou’ll need administrator privileges, an active internet connection, and basic familiarity with terminal commands. Fedora 43 introduced DNF5 as the default package manager, replacing the older DNF4 system. This change affects how you install certain packages, particularly those without proper digital signatures.
Make sure you understand that installing Microsoft fonts is legal for personal use, though the fonts remain subject to Microsoft’s licensing terms. The installer downloads fonts directly from Microsoft’s servers, ensuring compliance.
Method 1: Installing via msttcore-fonts-installer Package
This method represents the easiest and most reliable approach for most Fedora users. The msttcore-fonts-installer package automates the entire process, downloading and configuring 54 Microsoft TrueType fonts in one operation.
Understanding the Package
The msttcore-fonts-installer comes from the mscorefonts2 project hosted on SourceForge. It includes both the classic Core Fonts collection (Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana, Georgia, and others) and Microsoft’s ClearType fonts (Calibri, Cambria, Consolas, and more). Once installed, all fonts become available system-wide to every user and application.
The fonts install to /usr/share/fonts/msttcore/, making them accessible to GNOME, KDE, LibreOffice, GIMP, web browsers, and any other application that uses the system font directory.
Installing Required Dependencies
Several supporting packages enable the installer to function properly. Open your terminal and run:
sudo dnf install curl cabextract xorg-x11-font-utils fontconfigEach dependency serves a specific purpose. The curl utility downloads font archives from Microsoft’s servers. The cabextract tool unpacks Windows cabinet files containing the font data. Font utilities from xorg-x11-font-utils manage font installation. Finally, fontconfig handles system-wide font configuration and discovery.
Wait for the installation to complete. DNF5 in Fedora 43 provides faster dependency resolution than previous versions.
Downloading the Font Installer Package
Download the RPM package directly from SourceForge:
curl -LO https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/mscorefonts2/rpms/msttcore-fonts-installer-2.6-1.noarch.rpmThe -L flag tells curl to follow redirects, and -O saves the file with its original name. Version 2.6-1 represents the current release at the time of writing. The download weighs approximately 25 KB since it’s only an installer script, not the actual fonts.
Verify the download succeeded:
ls -lh msttcore-fonts-installer-2.6-1.noarch.rpmCritical: Fedora 43 Installation Process
Here’s where Fedora 43 differs from earlier releases. The standard sudo dnf install command fails with a verification error. The msttcore-fonts-installer package lacks proper digest signatures, causing DNF5 to reject it by default.
The error message typically reads: “does not verify: no digest”. This happens because DNF5 enforces stricter security policies than DNF4 did. While this protects users from tampered packages, it blocks legitimate unsigned packages too.
Use this command instead:
sudo rpm -ivh --nodigest --nofiledigest msttcore-fonts-installer-2.6-1.noarch.rpmLet’s break down each component. The rpm command directly manages RPM packages, bypassing DNF’s verification checks. The -i flag means install, -v enables verbose output so you can monitor progress, and -h displays hash marks as a progress indicator. Most importantly, --nodigest and --nofiledigest disable digest verification, allowing the unsigned package to install.
After you press Enter, the installer springs into action. You’ll see messages indicating downloads from SourceForge as it fetches multiple cabinet files: andale32.exe, arial32.exe, arialb32.exe, comic32.exe, courie32.exe, georgia32.exe, impact32.exe, times32.exe, trebuc32.exe, verdan32.exe, webdin32.exe, and the PowerPoint Viewer package containing ClearType fonts.
The process typically completes in two to five minutes depending on your internet speed. Each font family downloads, extracts, and installs automatically.
Rebuilding the Font Cache
After installation finishes, rebuild your system’s font cache so applications can discover the new fonts:
sudo fc-cache -fvThe -f flag forces a complete regeneration of the cache, and -v provides verbose output. You’ll see lines scrolling past showing directories being scanned, including your newly populated /usr/share/fonts/msttcore/ directory.
This step takes 30 seconds to two minutes. Some users prefer logging out and back in instead, but explicitly rebuilding the cache proves faster and more reliable. Applications running during installation might need restarting to recognize the new fonts, though a full system reboot isn’t necessary.
Method 2: Manual Installation from a Windows System
Sometimes you need fonts without internet access, or you prefer using fonts from your licensed Windows installation. Manual copying works perfectly for these scenarios.
Locating Windows Fonts
If you dual-boot Fedora alongside Windows, mount your Windows partition. Windows stores fonts in C:\Windows\Fonts. You’ll find dozens of .ttf (TrueType Font) and .ttc (TrueType Collection) files there.
Focus on these essential fonts: Arial (arial.ttf, arialbd.ttf, ariali.ttf, arialbi.ttf), Times New Roman (times.ttf, timesbd.ttf, timesi.ttf, timesbi.ttf), Calibri (calibri.ttf, calibrib.ttf, calibrii.ttf, calibriz.ttf), Verdana (verdana.ttf, verdanab.ttf, verdanai.ttf, verdanaz.ttf), and Consolas (consola.ttf, consolab.ttf, consolai.ttf, consolaz.ttf).
Copying Fonts to Fedora
Create a local fonts directory:
mkdir -p ~/.fontsThe tilde represents your home directory, and the dot before “fonts” makes it a hidden folder following Linux conventions. Copy your selected .ttf and .ttc files into this directory using your file manager or the cp command.
For system-wide availability, copy to /usr/share/fonts/ instead, though this requires root privileges. User directory installation suffices for most purposes and avoids permission complications.
Updating the Font Cache
Run the font cache update command:
fc-cache -fThis user-level cache update doesn’t require sudo since you’re only modifying your personal font directory. Applications will now recognize your manually installed Microsoft fonts.
Method 3: Extracting from Windows ISO
Advanced users can extract fonts directly from a Windows installation ISO. This method requires a Windows license but provides access to the complete font collection without an existing Windows installation.
First, install the p7zip package for extracting ISO contents:
sudo dnf install p7zip p7zip-pluginsMount or access your Windows ISO file. Navigate to where it’s located, then run this complex extraction command:
7z e install.wim 1/Windows/{Fonts/"*".{ttf,ttc},System32/Licenses/neutral/"*"/"*"/license.rtf} -ofonts/This command uses 7zip’s extraction capabilities to pull specific files from the compressed Windows image. The wildcards grab all .ttf and .ttc files from the Fonts directory, along with license files.
Move the extracted fonts to your fonts directory:
mv fonts ~/.fontsFinally, update your font cache:
fc-cache -fThis method offers completeness but demands more technical knowledge. Most users find the msttcore-fonts-installer simpler and equally effective.
Verifying Your Installation
Confirmation ensures everything worked correctly. Terminal-based verification provides quick results:
fc-list | grep -iE 'Arial|Times|Calibri|Consolas'This command lists all installed fonts and filters for common Microsoft typefaces. You should see output like:
/usr/share/fonts/msttcore/arial.ttf: Arial:style=Regular
/usr/share/fonts/msttcore/times.ttf: Times New Roman:style=Regular
/usr/share/fonts/msttcore/calibri.ttf: Calibri:style=Regular
/usr/share/fonts/msttcore/consola.ttf: Consolas:style=RegularCount your installed msttcore fonts:
fc-list | grep msttcore | wc -lThe result should show 54 fonts if you used the complete installer package.
GUI verification works too. Open GNOME Font Viewer or KDE’s Font Management tool. Browse through your available fonts and confirm Microsoft typefaces appear. Launch LibreOffice Writer, click the font dropdown menu, and scroll to find Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, and others.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
The “No Digest” Error
Fedora 43’s DNF5 rejects the msttcore-fonts-installer with “does not verify: no digest”. This isn’t a corrupted download—it’s an unsigned package triggering security policies.
Solution: Use rpm with digest-skipping flags as shown in the main installation instructions. Never use standard dnf install for this package in Fedora 43.
Cabextract Command Not Found
If the installer reports missing cabextract, you skipped the dependency installation step. Install it now:
sudo dnf install cabextractVerify the installation:
which cabextractThis should return /usr/bin/cabextract. Retry the font installer package.
Fonts Don’t Appear After Installation
Applications cache font lists. Close and reopen any programs you’re testing. If fonts still don’t appear, force a thorough cache rebuild:
sudo fc-cache -fvCheck directory permissions. Fonts in ~/.fonts need read permissions. System fonts in /usr/share/fonts/msttcore/ should be world-readable.
Verify fonts actually installed:
ls -l /usr/share/fonts/msttcore/Empty directory? The installer failed. Check your internet connection and retry.
SourceForge Download Failures
Temporary mirror issues occasionally interrupt downloads. The installer might hang or display connection errors. Wait a few minutes and run the installation command again. SourceForge’s content delivery network usually resolves issues quickly.
Check firewall settings if problems persist. Enterprise networks sometimes block SourceForge.
Special Considerations for Fedora Variants
Fedora Silverblue and Kinoite use immutable filesystems. The standard installation method works, but rpm-ostree provides better integration:
rpm-ostree install msttcore-fonts-installerAlternatively, install fonts exclusively in your home directory using Method 2. User directory fonts don’t require system modifications, making them ideal for immutable distributions.
Fedora Server lacks graphical font tools but handles console-based installation identically to Workstation. Wayland versus X11 doesn’t affect font installation—both display protocols use the same font system.
Using Your New Microsoft Fonts
Open LibreOffice Writer and create a new document. Click the font dropdown in the toolbar. Scroll through the alphabetical list to find Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, and the full collection of Microsoft typefaces. Select any font and start typing. The rendering should match what you’d see in Microsoft Office.
GIMP users access fonts through the text tool. Click the “Aa” icon, then use the font selector dialog. Your Microsoft fonts appear alongside system defaults. Web developers can specify these fonts in CSS knowing they’ll render correctly during local testing.
Document exchange with Windows and macOS users becomes seamless. Send a LibreOffice document using Calibri to a Microsoft Office user. They’ll see your intended formatting without substitutions or layout shifts. Receive documents from others and view them as designed.
Adjust font rendering preferences in GNOME Settings under Fonts or KDE System Settings under Font Management. Enable hinting and anti-aliasing for optimal clarity, especially on non-HiDPI displays.
Maintenance and Updates
Microsoft fonts persist through Fedora system upgrades. When you upgrade from Fedora 43 to Fedora 44 using dnf system-upgrade, your installed fonts remain intact. The RPM database tracks the msttcore-fonts-installer package across releases.
User directory fonts in ~/.fonts always survive updates since they’re part of your home directory data.
Updates to the msttcore-fonts-installer don’t happen automatically. Microsoft rarely updates these classic fonts, but the installer package occasionally receives maintenance updates. Check SourceForge periodically for new versions. Download and install using the same rpm -ivh --nodigest --nofiledigest command. The new version overwrites the old automatically.
Removing Microsoft Fonts
Should you need to uninstall Microsoft fonts, removal takes moments:
sudo dnf remove msttcore-fonts-installerThis removes the package and deletes fonts from /usr/share/fonts/msttcore/. Manually installed fonts require direct deletion:
rm -rf ~/.fonts/Or for system-wide fonts:
sudo rm -rf /usr/share/fonts/msttcore/Rebuild your font cache after removal:
sudo fc-cache -fvVerify fonts are gone:
fc-list | grep -i arialThis should return no results.
Congratulations! You have successfully installed Microsoft Fonts. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the latest version of Microsoft Fonts on Fedora 43 Linux system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official Microsoft website.
