How to include external font in WPF application without installing it

There are two ways of doing this: One way is to package the fonts inside the application. The other way is to have the fonts in a folder. The difference is mostly the URI you need to load the files with.

Package with Application

1. Add a /Fonts folder to your solution.

2. Add the True Type Fonts (*.ttf) files to that folder

3. Include the files to the project

4. Select the fonts and add them to the solution

5. Set BuildAction: Resource and Copy To Output Directory: Do not copy. Your .csproj file should now have a section like this one:

     <ItemGroup>
      <Resource Include="Fonts\NotoSans-Bold.ttf" />
      <Resource Include="Fonts\NotoSans-BoldItalic.ttf" />
      <Resource Include="Fonts\NotoSans-Italic.ttf" />
      <Resource Include="Fonts\NotoSans-Regular.ttf" />
      <Resource Include="Fonts\NotoSansSymbols-Regular.ttf" />
    </ItemGroup>
   

6. In App.xaml add <FontFamily> resources. It should look like in the following code sample. Note that the URI doesn’t contain the filename when packing with the application.

    <Applicaton ...>
    <Application.Resources>
        <FontFamily x:Key="NotoSans">pack://application:,,,/Fonts/#Noto Sans</FontFamily>
        <FontFamily x:Key="NotoSansSymbols">pack://application:,,,/Fonts/#Noto Sans Symbols</FontFamily>
    </Application.Resources>
    </Application>
   

7. Apply your fonts like this:

    <TextBlock x:Name="myTextBlock" Text="foobar" FontFamily="{StaticResource NotoSans}" 
               FontSize="10.0" FontStyle="Normal" FontWeight="Regular" />
   

8. You can also set the font imperatively:

    myTextBlock.FontFamily = new FontFamily(new Uri("pack://application:,,,/"), "./Fonts/#Noto Sans");
   

Copy to Output Directory

1. Add a /Fonts folder to your solution.

2. Add the True Type Fonts (*.ttf) files to that order

3. Include the files to the project

4. Select the fonts and add them to the solution

5. Set BuildAction: Content and Copy To Output Directory: Copy if newer or Copy always. Your .csproj file should now have a section like this one:

     <ItemGroup>
      <Content Include="Fonts\NotoSans-Bold.ttf">
        <CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
      </Content>
      <Content Include="Fonts\NotoSans-BoldItalic.ttf">
        <CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
      </Content>
      <Content Include="Fonts\NotoSans-Italic.ttf">
        <CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
      </Content>
      <Content Include="Fonts\NotoSans-Regular.ttf">
        <CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
      </Content>
      <Content Include="Fonts\NotoSansSymbols-Regular.ttf">
        <CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
      </Content>
    </ItemGroup>
   

6. In App.xaml add <FontFamily> resources. It should look like in the following code sample.

    <Applicaton ...>
    <Application.Resources>
        <FontFamily x:Key="NotoSansRegular">./Fonts/NotoSans-Regular.ttf#Noto Sans</FontFamily>
        <FontFamily x:Key="NotoSansItalic">./Fonts/NotoSans-Italic.ttf#Noto Sans</FontFamily>
        <FontFamily x:Key="NotoSansBold">./Fonts/NotoSans-Bold.ttf#Noto Sans</FontFamily>
        <FontFamily x:Key="NotoSansBoldItalic">./Fonts/NotoSans-BoldItalic.ttf#Noto Sans</FontFamily>
        <FontFamily x:Key="NotoSansSymbols">./Fonts/NotoSans-Regular.ttf#Noto Sans Symbols</FontFamily>
    </Application.Resources>
    </Application>
   

7. Apply your fonts like this:

    <TextBlock Text="foobar" FontFamily="{StaticResource NotoSansRegular}" 
               FontSize="10.0" FontStyle="Normal" FontWeight="Regular" />
   

References

• MSDN: Packaging Fonts with Applications