Skip to main content
All CollectionsManageManaging Account Settings
Fix Wrong Fonts or Missing Letters in Courses
Fix Wrong Fonts or Missing Letters in Courses

How to enable font download for your users

Anthony Karcz avatar
Written by Anthony Karcz
Updated over a week ago

 Applies to these roles: Admin  

We use web fonts (WOFF files) in published courses, so text looks exactly the way you designed it and remains sharp when it’s scaled up or down. Web fonts allow us to control every glyph and character so text looks the same in all browsers, giving learners the best experience on every device.

If a learner sees the wrong fonts in a course, it means the font files in your published output aren’t getting to the learner’s web browser. When this happens, the learner’s computer or mobile device substitutes system fonts in your course. Sometimes, this substitution makes text look different than the way you designed it. For example, character spacing and word wrapping might change. Other times, letters could go missing.

To fix these font issues, the font download option needs to be enabled in learners’ browsers. Here’s how to do that. 

Enable the Font Download Setting in Learners’ Browsers

Font downloads are required for viewing Rise courses.

Since Internet Explorer is the only browser with a built-in font download setting, this step generally applies only to Internet Explorer users. (It’s possible to block web fonts in Google Chrome and Firefox using browser plugins. If learners see the wrong fonts in these browsers, ask them to disable font blockers when viewing courses.)

Here’s how to enable font downloads in Internet Explorer, depending on whether the setting is managed by network admins or learners.

Network Admins

The font download setting in Internet Explorer is enabled by default, but some organizations disable it via Group Policy. If that’s the case, ask your network admins to enable the font download setting or add the website where your e-learning courses are hosted to the trusted sites in Group Policy.

For Windows 10 users, in particular, Microsoft no longer recommends blocking fonts, since doing so “can substantially diminish usability” and there are other security features in Windows 10 to protect against font-based exploits.

Learners

If learners control their own Internet Explorer settings, ask them to enable font downloads. Here’s how:

  1. In Internet Explorer, click the gear icon or the Tools menu, then choose Internet Options.

  2. When the Internet Options window appears, select the Security tab, choose the Internet zone, and click Custom Level.

  3. When the Security Settings window appears, scroll to the Downloads section and enable the Font Download setting.

  4. Click OK twice to save your settings, then close and reopen Internet Explorer.

Did this answer your question?