To add a custom font to Procreate, download a .ttf, .otf, or .ttc file to your iPad (unzip it first if needed), open a canvas, and go to Actions > Add > Add text. Tap the style button on the keyboard, choose Import, and select the font file in the Files app. The font then appears in Procreate's font list for any text layer. You can also share a font file straight to Procreate, AirDrop it from a Mac, or drag and drop it from another app.

Before You Start: Font Formats and File Prep

Procreate accepts three font formats: .ttf (TrueType), .otf (OpenType), and .ttc (TrueType Collection, several fonts bundled in one file). If your download contains anything else, such as a web-only format, find a desktop version from the foundry.

Check these things first:

• The file must be on the iPad. Procreate can't pull a font from a Mac or PC directly. Save it to the iPad's local storage or iCloud Drive so it's visible in the Files app.
• Unzip archives. Most font downloads arrive as a .zip. Tap the archive once in Files, or tap and hold and choose Uncompress, and a folder with the font files appears.
• Check the license. Free-to-download is not the same as free for commercial use. If the lettering will end up in client work, broadcast titles, or product packaging, confirm the license covers it before you import.

If you're working from a studio library on a desktop, AirDrop is usually the fastest way to move files across.

Method 1: Import Inside Procreate

This is the most direct route and the one Procreate's own documentation describes.

1. Open an artwork (a new blank canvas is fine).
2. Tap Actions (the wrench), open the Add tab, and tap Add text.
3. Tap the style button in the top right of the on-screen keyboard (the "Aa" button) to open the style panel.
4. Tap Import at the top right of the panel.
5. Browse to your font in the Files app and tap it.

Procreate shows a brief importing screen and returns you to the text tools. The font may not apply to your text automatically, so scroll the font list (new fonts typically land at the bottom) and select it.

A small interface quirk: if you tap Add text with Apple Pencil, you get a compact menu and a mini keyboard instead of the full keyboard. Tapping with a finger brings up the full keyboard. Either way, the style panel and the Import option are reachable.

You can also double-tap an existing text layer, tap the font name, and choose Import font from there.

Method 2: Send the Font to Procreate From Files, AirDrop, or Another App

If you'd rather not go through the text menu, there are three alternatives.

Share from the Files app

Open the font file in Files, tap the share button, and send it to Procreate. The screen may look as if nothing happened, but the font imports in the background. Open a text layer and check the list.

AirDrop from a Mac

AirDrop the font file to your iPad. When the prompt appears, choose to open it with Procreate. This is useful when a designer on the desktop side hands you a type package.

Drag and drop

You can drag font files from another app into Procreate. You can also drag files directly into Procreate's fonts folder in Files, described next.

Where Procreate Stores Your Fonts (and How to Remove Them)

Fonts you've installed live in the Files app under On My iPad > Procreate > Fonts. This matters for housekeeping:

• To remove a font, delete its file from that folder.
• You can also add fonts by copying or moving their files into that folder.
• Keep a separate backup folder of original font downloads so you can reinstall after a device reset.

Procreate also gives you access to the fonts built into iPadOS, plus a few of its own defaults. Those defaults may vary by version, so don't rely on a specific list.

Adding Fonts in Procreate Dreams

If you animate in Procreate Dreams rather than the standard app, the process is similar but the font folder is separate. Dreams supports .otf, .ttf, and .ttc as well.

• Files method (best for batches): In Files, select the font files, choose Move or Copy, then navigate to Procreate Dreams > Fonts and paste them.
• In-app method (one at a time): Add a Text element to your movie, double-tap it on the stage, tap Edit style, then tap Import in the Typography menu and pick the file.

Dreams has its own Fonts folder, so install fonts in both apps if you use both.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

The font imported but I can't find it. Scroll to the bottom of the font list. If it still isn't there, make sure you imported an actual font file and not the enclosing folder or the .zip.

The Files app can't see my font. The file needs to be stored on the iPad or in iCloud Drive. Fonts sitting on another computer or in a web browser's temporary download state won't appear.

My OTF ligatures and alternates don't show up. Procreate has historically not exposed OpenType alternate styles, such as swashes, stylistic sets, and contextual alternates, even when the font contains them. If a lettering style depends on those features, check the current version's behavior. Some artists work around it with a third-party font manager, or they build the glyph variants in a desktop type tool.

I have both TTF and OTF versions. Installing the OTF is generally the safer choice because it carries more typographic data, even if Procreate doesn't use all of it yet.

Text looks different after I move the project. If the font isn't installed where the project is opened, the text may look different. If you hand the artwork to someone else, send the font files separately or flatten the text before export.

Getting Procreate Lettering Into a Motion Pipeline

For motion designers, Procreate is often a lettering and style-development tool, not the place where titles are finished. A few habits make the handoff to After Effects, Premiere Pro, Cinema 4D, Blender, or Nuke smoother.

• Decide where the text stays live. If a title needs to be edited, retimed, or localized, rebuild it as a live text layer in After Effects using the same font, and use the Procreate version as a design reference.
• Export the lettering you drew by hand as raster art. Hand-drawn or heavily modified lettering is best exported as a transparent PNG or a layered file, then brought into your compositor.
• Track your font files. Keep the exact files you used in Procreate in the project folder. Font mismatches between iPad and desktop are a common source of "why does this look different" revisions.
• Confirm video and broadcast licensing. Desktop and app licenses don't always cover motion and broadcast use. Check before you deliver.

Where Styleframe Fits Once Your Type Is Set

Once you've set your type and drawn your frames in Procreate, those frames can become source material for motion. Styleframe is an AI video and motion tool.

Because generative tools can reinterpret letterforms, it's wise to treat finished typography as something you composite on top, using live type in After Effects or Nuke, rather than relying on generated text to hold exact shapes.

Quick Reference

1. Download the font to your iPad and unzip it if needed.
2. In Procreate, go to Actions > Add > Add text.
3. Tap the style button, then Import, and select the file.
4. Choose the font from the list and style your text.
5. To remove a font, delete it from On My iPad > Procreate > Fonts.
6. In Procreate Dreams, use Procreate Dreams > Fonts or the Typography menu's Import option.

Once fonts are installed, the same file library carries across projects, so the setup is a one-time job for each typeface.

To add a custom font to Procreate, download a .ttf, .otf, or .ttc file to your iPad (unzip it first if needed), open a canvas, and go to Actions > Add > Add text. Tap the style button on the keyboard, choose Import, and select the font file in the Files app. The font then appears in Procreate's font list for any text layer. You can also share a font file straight to Procreate, AirDrop it from a Mac, or drag and drop it from another app.

Before You Start: Font Formats and File Prep

Procreate accepts three font formats: .ttf (TrueType), .otf (OpenType), and .ttc (TrueType Collection, several fonts bundled in one file). If your download contains anything else, such as a web-only format, find a desktop version from the foundry.

Check these things first:

• The file must be on the iPad. Procreate can't pull a font from a Mac or PC directly. Save it to the iPad's local storage or iCloud Drive so it's visible in the Files app.
• Unzip archives. Most font downloads arrive as a .zip. Tap the archive once in Files, or tap and hold and choose Uncompress, and a folder with the font files appears.
• Check the license. Free-to-download is not the same as free for commercial use. If the lettering will end up in client work, broadcast titles, or product packaging, confirm the license covers it before you import.

If you're working from a studio library on a desktop, AirDrop is usually the fastest way to move files across.

Method 1: Import Inside Procreate

This is the most direct route and the one Procreate's own documentation describes.

1. Open an artwork (a new blank canvas is fine).
2. Tap Actions (the wrench), open the Add tab, and tap Add text.
3. Tap the style button in the top right of the on-screen keyboard (the "Aa" button) to open the style panel.
4. Tap Import at the top right of the panel.
5. Browse to your font in the Files app and tap it.

Procreate shows a brief importing screen and returns you to the text tools. The font may not apply to your text automatically, so scroll the font list (new fonts typically land at the bottom) and select it.

A small interface quirk: if you tap Add text with Apple Pencil, you get a compact menu and a mini keyboard instead of the full keyboard. Tapping with a finger brings up the full keyboard. Either way, the style panel and the Import option are reachable.

You can also double-tap an existing text layer, tap the font name, and choose Import font from there.

Method 2: Send the Font to Procreate From Files, AirDrop, or Another App

If you'd rather not go through the text menu, there are three alternatives.

Share from the Files app

Open the font file in Files, tap the share button, and send it to Procreate. The screen may look as if nothing happened, but the font imports in the background. Open a text layer and check the list.

AirDrop from a Mac

AirDrop the font file to your iPad. When the prompt appears, choose to open it with Procreate. This is useful when a designer on the desktop side hands you a type package.

Drag and drop

You can drag font files from another app into Procreate. You can also drag files directly into Procreate's fonts folder in Files, described next.

Where Procreate Stores Your Fonts (and How to Remove Them)

Fonts you've installed live in the Files app under On My iPad > Procreate > Fonts. This matters for housekeeping:

• To remove a font, delete its file from that folder.
• You can also add fonts by copying or moving their files into that folder.
• Keep a separate backup folder of original font downloads so you can reinstall after a device reset.

Procreate also gives you access to the fonts built into iPadOS, plus a few of its own defaults. Those defaults may vary by version, so don't rely on a specific list.

Adding Fonts in Procreate Dreams

If you animate in Procreate Dreams rather than the standard app, the process is similar but the font folder is separate. Dreams supports .otf, .ttf, and .ttc as well.

• Files method (best for batches): In Files, select the font files, choose Move or Copy, then navigate to Procreate Dreams > Fonts and paste them.
• In-app method (one at a time): Add a Text element to your movie, double-tap it on the stage, tap Edit style, then tap Import in the Typography menu and pick the file.

Dreams has its own Fonts folder, so install fonts in both apps if you use both.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

The font imported but I can't find it. Scroll to the bottom of the font list. If it still isn't there, make sure you imported an actual font file and not the enclosing folder or the .zip.

The Files app can't see my font. The file needs to be stored on the iPad or in iCloud Drive. Fonts sitting on another computer or in a web browser's temporary download state won't appear.

My OTF ligatures and alternates don't show up. Procreate has historically not exposed OpenType alternate styles, such as swashes, stylistic sets, and contextual alternates, even when the font contains them. If a lettering style depends on those features, check the current version's behavior. Some artists work around it with a third-party font manager, or they build the glyph variants in a desktop type tool.

I have both TTF and OTF versions. Installing the OTF is generally the safer choice because it carries more typographic data, even if Procreate doesn't use all of it yet.

Text looks different after I move the project. If the font isn't installed where the project is opened, the text may look different. If you hand the artwork to someone else, send the font files separately or flatten the text before export.

Getting Procreate Lettering Into a Motion Pipeline

For motion designers, Procreate is often a lettering and style-development tool, not the place where titles are finished. A few habits make the handoff to After Effects, Premiere Pro, Cinema 4D, Blender, or Nuke smoother.

• Decide where the text stays live. If a title needs to be edited, retimed, or localized, rebuild it as a live text layer in After Effects using the same font, and use the Procreate version as a design reference.
• Export the lettering you drew by hand as raster art. Hand-drawn or heavily modified lettering is best exported as a transparent PNG or a layered file, then brought into your compositor.
• Track your font files. Keep the exact files you used in Procreate in the project folder. Font mismatches between iPad and desktop are a common source of "why does this look different" revisions.
• Confirm video and broadcast licensing. Desktop and app licenses don't always cover motion and broadcast use. Check before you deliver.

Where Styleframe Fits Once Your Type Is Set

Once you've set your type and drawn your frames in Procreate, those frames can become source material for motion. Styleframe is an AI video and motion tool.

Because generative tools can reinterpret letterforms, it's wise to treat finished typography as something you composite on top, using live type in After Effects or Nuke, rather than relying on generated text to hold exact shapes.

Quick Reference

1. Download the font to your iPad and unzip it if needed.
2. In Procreate, go to Actions > Add > Add text.
3. Tap the style button, then Import, and select the file.
4. Choose the font from the list and style your text.
5. To remove a font, delete it from On My iPad > Procreate > Fonts.
6. In Procreate Dreams, use Procreate Dreams > Fonts or the Typography menu's Import option.

Once fonts are installed, the same file library carries across projects, so the setup is a one-time job for each typeface.