Embedding fonts in PowerPoint is a straightforward way to ensure your text looks the same across different devices, dodging the mess of font substitutions when a computer doesn’t have your chosen typeface. It bundles the font files into your presentation, so they travel with it. Here’s how to do it.
Open your PowerPoint file on the computer where you created it—embedding only works with fonts installed there. Go to “File” in the top-left corner, then click “Options” (near the bottom of the sidebar). In the PowerPoint Options window, select the “Save” tab on the left. Scroll down to the section labeled “Preserve fidelity when sharing this presentation.” You’ll see a checkbox that says “Embed fonts in the file”—tick it. Below that, you’ve got two radio buttons: “Embed only the characters used in the presentation” (smaller file size, good if you’re using basic text) or “Embed all characters” (bigger file, but lets others edit with the full font set). Pick “Embed all characters” if you think someone might tweak the text later; otherwise, the first option’s fine.
Hit “OK” to close the window, then save your file with “File” > “Save As.” Choose the .pptx format (embedding doesn’t work with .ppt), pick your location, and click “Save.” That’s it—the fonts are now packed in. To test, copy the file to another device without those fonts installed and open it. The text should look unchanged.
A few caveats: this only works with TrueType or OpenType fonts (.ttf or .otf)—not system-protected ones like Segoe UI or web fonts. Check your font’s license too; some commercial ones block embedding (you’ll see a warning if PowerPoint can’t do it). Also, embedding bumps up the file size—think a few hundred KB for common fonts, more for ornate ones—so compress media elsewhere if it gets bulky. If it still doesn’t work, the other device might have an older PowerPoint version; in that case, a PDF export might be your backup.
