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I'm trying to install some custom fonts (.otf files) on my wife's Asus Chromebook. Every tutorial I've found says one of two things: either

  1. "In Google Docs, go to the Edit menu then choose Fonts and add it" The problem with this is I don't have that option, or

  2. Enable Linux and then use the Chromebook's version of the terminal to put the fonts in the right system folder. https://theserif.net/fonts/step-by-step-instructions-on-installing-fonts-on-chromebook/#:~:text=i)%20Go%20to%20the%20Edit,can%20choose%20from%20this%20list.

I can't see this option either. I use Linux myself and am a developer so relatively tech savvy, but whatever I try on the Chromebook seems to just not match any tutorials.

Is it basically impossible on some Chromebooks? How can I find out if we have one of those?

The chrome version in case it's useful is Version 89.0.4389.82 (Official Build) (64-bit)

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    I have no experience with Google Docs, so I can't comment on that. If some instructions imply that you can add fonts in the Linux container and use fonts out side of apps installed in that container, then that's a red herring. My best guess is that you should be able to use fonts from Google Fonts in Google Docs. That would be consistent and I guess it would be more appropriate to ask as Web Apps SE about Google Docs. Treat everything on a Chromebook as a web app and Chromebooks may work great for you and your wife.
    – LiveWireBT
    Mar 28, 2021 at 23:47
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    Google Docs is a web application running on Google's servers. You can't customize it by adding your own fonts. The Linux subsystem is for running apps but the system files are read-only so not customizable. The article you linked torefers to an unofficial way of installing Linux called Crouton that was popular before Chromebooks got official Linux support a few years ago. You can still do this but it requires "Developer mode" that removes some of the Chromebook's security protection and overall would be a lot of effort.
    – Andrew M.
    Mar 29, 2021 at 3:04
  • Hmm- do either of you have any advice then, regarding using custom fonts?
    – Max Williams
    Mar 29, 2021 at 8:40
  • @AndrewM. there is a "preferences" section in Google Docs, which suggests that it is customisable to some extent. Presumably they have a "Google docs preferences" file saved against my wife's Google account. There's nothing about adding fonts in it though, as far as I can see.
    – Max Williams
    Mar 29, 2021 at 8:42
  • Yes, most web apps have some kind of user settings but the level of customizability you're looking for I've never seen in any web app, probably because they're deployed on a mass scale and not set up for allowing changes by users. I did try installing LibreOffice Writer in a Linux container but even that doesn't allow adding fonts. Perhaps Scribus does: flathub.org/apps/details/net.scribus.Scribus You'd have to install Flatpak first to try that. My suggestion is to take the easy way out and click on "More Fonts" in the font dropdown in Google Docs to find one that's acceptable.
    – Andrew M.
    Mar 29, 2021 at 14:34

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I'm afraid this is indeed practically impossible for now. It's one of those things that show ChromeOS is less of a mature, full-fledged/desktop OS than you might hope. It's more capable than Android, but shares a lot of the same limitations.

It may be a good idea to create a ticket about this. I did this not long ago about another "detail" that could well have been considered as pointless for the average user and to my surprise they jumped on top of it and fixed it.

EDIT: there's already an open ticket. Anyone reading this because they're looking for an answer to the same question c/should leave a "me too please" comment there!

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You need to first enable Developer Mode in order for terminal access to work correctly. This is not to be confused with the onboard Android VM's Developer Mode, but the actual CrOS's Developer Mode (once enabled, you should see a red warning message on each login). Once you've done that, open up terminal and enter sudo -i prior to attempting the font installation.

Note: Chrome browser itself has limited font customization available to user space settings (located under the Appearance carret), just like Google Docs. However, many modern web developers now specify what fonts to load from the server-side. CrOS does have the Chrome extensions functionality, though, which means you can utilize TamperMonkey scripts to modify site appearances (requires knowledge in .js scripts — or an inordinate amount of blind faith in another person's script).

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