Google Fonts
{{Short description|Web font library}}
{{Infobox online service
| name = Google Fonts
| logo = Google Fonts logo.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| image = พร้อม กูเกิลฟอนต์ Prompt a Tha font Sample.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = Prompt,{{Cite web|url=https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Prompt|title=Prompt - Google Fonts|author=Cadson Demak|access-date=2021-03-20|website=Google Fonts}} a Thai typeface from Google Fonts
| developer = Google
| type = Font embedding service
| launched = {{Start date|2010}}
| website = {{URL|https://fonts.google.com}}
}}
Google Fonts (formerly known as Google Web Fonts) is a computer font and web font service owned by Google. This includes free and open source font families, an interactive web directory for browsing the library, and APIs for using the fonts via CSS{{cite web|url=https://fontsplugin.com/google-fonts-css/ |title=How To Add Google Fonts Using CSS |website=fontsplugin.com |date=2019-01-25|access-date=2020-01-28}} and Android.{{cite web|url=https://www.androidauthority.com/android-oreo-vs-android-nougat-fonts-794733/ |title=How Oreo is better than Nougat : Downloadable fonts and adaptive icons |website=AndroidAuthority.com |date=2017-08-24 |access-date=2017-11-24}} Google Fonts is also used with Google Workspace software such as Docs, Sheets, Drawings and Slides.
Popular fonts in the Google Fonts library include Roboto, Open Sans, Lato, Oswald, Montserrat, and Source Sans Pro.{{cite web|url=https://fonts.google.com/analytics |title=Analytics - Google Fonts |website=fonts.google.com |date=2020-09-03 |access-date=2021-04-01}} National Fonts and PT Fonts are also available in the Google Fonts library.
History
Google Fonts was launched in 2010{{cite web|date=2010-05-20|title=Google Fonts is Born - Can I get a Hallelujah!?|url=http://www.sitepoint.com/google-fonts-is-born-can-i-get-a-hallelujah/|access-date=2017-01-03|website=Sitepoint.com}} and revamped in 2011,{{cite web|date=2011-07-12|title=Google Fonts Blog: The new Google Web Fonts - Now fully launched|url=http://googlewebfonts.blogspot.com/2011/07/new-google-web-fonts-now-fully-launched.html|access-date=2017-01-03|website=Googlewebfonts.blogspot.com}} 2016,{{cite web|date=2016-06-15|title=Reimagining Google Fonts - Library - Google Design|url=https://design.google/library/reimagining-google-fonts/|access-date=2017-11-24|website=design.google}} 2020{{cite web|date=2020-03-02|title=Happy anniversary, Google Fonts!|url=https://design.google/news/happy-anniversary-google-fonts/|access-date=2020-03-02|website=design.google}} and 2023{{cite web|date=2023-09-07|title=The new Google Fonts: find what you're looking for|url=https://m3.material.io/blog/2023-google-fonts-redesign|access-date=2024-11-29|website=m3.material.io/blog}}
On March 3, 2020, Google updated the catalog website with support for variable fonts.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} On March 2, 2021, the Google Fonts team announced they were adding support for open source icons.{{Cite web|url=https://material.io/blog/google-fonts-material-icons|date=2021-03-02|access-date=2021-04-01|title=Google Fonts ❤️ Material Icons - Material Design|first1=Tobias|last1=Kunisch|first2=SeHee|last2=Lee|website=Material Design}}
Font library
{{As of|2025|04}}, Google Fonts had 1816 font families, including 468 variable font families.{{Cite web|title=Browse Fonts - Google Fonts|url=https://fonts.google.com/?categoryFilters=Technology:%2FTechnology%2FVariable|access-date=2025-04-02|website=Google Fonts|language=en}}
The library is maintained through Google Fonts' GitHub repository, where all font files can be obtained directly. Source files for many of the fonts are available from git repositories within the Google Fonts' GitHub organization, along with libre software tools used by the Google Fonts community.
= Licenses and distribution =
Most of the fonts are released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, while some are released under the Apache License;{{cite web|date=2017-11-24|title=Google Fonts - Attribution|url=https://fonts.google.com/attribution|access-date=2017-11-24|website=fonts.google.com}} both are libre licenses.
The font library is also distributed by Monotype's SkyFonts and Adobe's Edge Web Fonts and Adobe Fonts (formerly Typekit) services.
Privacy issues
In February 2022, a German court ruled that a website using Google Fonts violated the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by passing personally identifiable information (IP address) to Google without the user's consent or a legitimate interest in doing so.{{Cite web |last=Cushing |first=Tim |date=2022-02-07 |title=German Court Fines Site Owner For Sharing User Data With Google To Access Web Fonts |url=https://www.techdirt.com/2022/02/07/german-court-fines-site-owner-sharing-user-data-with-google-to-access-web-fonts/ |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Techdirt |language=en-US}}
The proceedings related to embedding via a link to Google's servers and were only pursued by a warning lawyer with fraudulent intent. If the fonts are integrated from your own website, no information is transferred to Google, so this risk does not exist at all. See article in the German Wikipedia for further details.
References
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