Syncing & installing fonts with Monotype App

Monotype App solves the missing fonts frustration.

Creatives spend roughly eight hours a week on nuisance tasks like tracking and installing the correct fonts—a full day’s worth of time spent not designing. In addition to losing time, these disruptions can derail your creative process, which is often already compromised by other demands on your time.

You can install fonts using either of the following two methods:

Sync fonts using the Monotype App.

If you have the Monotype App installed on your system, you can sync and start working with your favorite fonts with a single click as you browse the Monotype Fonts inventory. Fonts are synced in the background and are made available in a matter of seconds without the need for manual installation.

You can view, search and unsync any of the installed fonts directly through the app. Since the app is linked to users’ accounts, it provides admins with added security and control over font-installations throughout their organization.

The Monotype App is also configured to work with third-party fonts. Company admins can upload fonts purchased from other foundries to the Monotype Fonts platform for easier font management, better security, and license tracking while creatives can use the same, simple workflow to design with Monotype fonts and third-party fonts alike.

Download font files for manual installation.

You may also choose to download font files for offline, manual installation.

Downloading & installing the Monotype App.

Download the Monotype App (version 6.3.0 for macOS™ and Windows) installer directly to your machine by using the buttons below:

• Download for Mac
• Download for Windows

Apple silicon native app.

You will not need a separate installer for your machine with macOS™ powered by Apple ARM architecture. The link above will optimize the installer for you!

You can also click on the “Download the desktop app” link in your profile menu as shown below:

Remote deployment.

Company admins can use the installation packages listed below to remotely deploy the Monotype App on users’ machines. MDM deployment tools such as JAMF or Airwatch can also be used to deploy these files.

Windows

You can deploy the Monotype App using a per-machine installation or per-user installation of the MSI package.

Pre-user installer

The MSI for per-user deployment adds Monotype App installer to individual user accounts. 

• Pre-user installer (MSI)

Per-machine installer.

The MSI for single-installation deployment installs Monotype App for Windows machine-wide to Program Files. It is multi-client-capable, meaning that it can be used by multiple users on one machine, keeping their profiles separate in %ROAMINGAPPDATA%.

Note: Windows system level app has auto-updates turned off.

• Per-machine installer (MSI)

You can refer to the following remote deployment procedure document for detailed instructions:

Remote deployment and proxy settings

macOS™

You can deploy the macOS™ app on a per-machine installation using the PKG file. This installer is intelligent enough to serve both Intel and ARM powered Apple machinery

Note: Per-user install is not available for macOS™.

• Mac (PKG)

Important information.

• The PKG provided by Monotype is tested and verified against Airwatch and JAMF. 

• The MSI provided by Monotype is tested using Airwatch.

• You may use other software to distribute the Monotype App solely at your own risk.

• We support reading proxy settings from an accompanying JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file.

Detection & auto-activation of missing fonts.

The Monotype App comes with built-in plugins that can automatically detect and activate missing fonts in your creative projects. This functionality is available for the following creative applications with support for more added regularly:

• Adobe Photoshop CC— macOS™ and Windows, versions 19 - 23

• Adobe InDesign CC— macOS™ and Windows, versions 19 - 23

• Adobe InCopy CC— macOS™ and Windows, versions 19 - 23

• Adobe Illustrator CC— macOS™ and Windows, versions 19 - 23

• Adobe Acrobat— macOS™ and Windows, version Pro 2020

• Sketch— macOS™

• Keynote— macOS™, version 11.1

• Pages — macOS™, version 11.1

• Numbers — macOS™, version 11.1

Each of the above plugins can be disabled or re-enabled by going to Settings and clicking on Open beside the Plugins heading to open the Auto Activation settings pane as shown below:

Note: After disabling/re-enabling a plugin for an application, please restart the selected application for changes to take effect.

Syncing fonts with the Monotype App. 

Syncing fonts from a font family page. 

Once you have the Monotype App installed, you can sync an entire set of fonts from a family page by clicking on the “Sync family” button. When clicked, fonts start syncing with your desktop in the background and are ready for use in a matter of seconds.

Clicking on the drop-down arrow within the “Sync family” button also provides you with “Sync & download” options.

This gives you full control over what gets synced, and how. Let’s take a look at the “Sync & download options” dialog in detail:

From the “Sync to Monotype App” tab you can choose to sync individual font weights and styles. You can also choose which formats—CFF or TTF—your fonts are synced in. You may again, choose to sync the entire family once you’ve selected your preferences, by clicking on the “Sync family” button at the bottom of the dialog.

Syncing fonts from the Browse section or Search results.

When looking for fonts via the Browse section or the search results page, hovering over a font family row provides access to the following additional options:

• Add to - Add the selected font style to a font list, web project or digital ad.
• Similar - Search for fonts similar to the one in focus.
• Sync family - Sync the selected font via the Monotype App. Additionally, clicking on the drop-down arrow icon brings up the Download & sync options dialog as described above.

Downloading font files for manual installation.

If, however, you prefer downloading fonts files and installing them offline manually, you can click on the Download options tab in the Download & sync options dialog. This, similar to the syncing workflow outlined above, allows you to select individual font weights and style for download, or download the entire family all at once.

Here, again, you can choose between CFF and TTF formats to download your fonts in.

Proxy support.

The Monotype App provides proxy support at the application level if your organization uses proxy servers in its network environment to regulate internet access.

If you are a Company Admin.

You may choose to whitelist the following URLs so users in your company are not required to enter any proxy information in the Monotype App:

• Monotype service: https://enterprise.monotype.com

• Monotype sync service: https://syncservice.monotype.com 

• ADS data service: https://ads-assets.monotype.com 

• Pubnub service: https://skyfonts.pubnub.com 

• Image-rendering service: https://render06.fontshop.com 

• Sentry services: https://sentry.io

If you are an End-User.

The following proxy types are supported by the Monotype App and can be configured within the app itself:

• HTTP: With or without authentication.
• PAC file support: With or without authentication.

Configuring proxy settings.

Here are the steps to configure the above:

1. If you’re on the App’s login screen — Click on the gear icon in the top-right corner and then, click on Proxy settings from the menu as shown below:
2. If you’re already logged in — Click on the gear icon in the top-right corner and then, click on Settings from the menu as shown below:

3. Once on the Settings pane, beside the Proxy settings heading, click on Edit.

4. This will bring you to the Proxy settings pane wherein you can configure these settings as required.

5. Restart the Monotype App by clicking on Reset for proxy settings changes to effect.

Required system settings.

• System proxy should be on OS network settings and not PAC file or browser.
• Proxy settings must be set by IP and not the hostname.
• It is recommended to uninstall any previous version(s) of the Monotype App before installing the latest version.

Basic troubleshooting.

The Monotype App provides troubleshooting tools to help your detect and resolve common network access issues such as—connection with the Monotype Fonts web platform, external app showdown, font syncing, and internet connectivity-related problems.

To get to the Troubleshoot pane, go to Settings and click on Open beside the Troubleshoot heading.

Let’s take a look at the options and utilities on this screen.

1. Show logs: Automatically captures App and BS logs and creates a zipped log package that can be shared with Support and Development teams in case of an issue. Note: If the issue is with the installation itself, these logs still need to be collected manually.
2. Reset app: Clears all user data including proxy details and fonts data from the system.
3. Unique ID: A unique identifier for the user’s machine which can be shared with Development teams to locate server logs.
4. Version: Currently installed application version.
5. Helper service: Status of the BS (masSync) which delivers fonts to the user’s machine during sync.
6. Network access: 
   • Internet connection: Checks and notifies in case of issues with internet connectivity.
   • Enterprise web connection: Checks and notifies in case Monotype’s web services are not accessible by the App.
   • Pubsub connection: Checks and notifies about connectivity between various services required by the App.
   • Sync server connection: Checks for connectivity required to sync fonts between the Monotype Fonts web platform and the App.
7. Proxy settings: The following messages may be shown under the Proxy settings section:
   • Auto proxy applied: Proxy is set at the system level and not within the application.
   • Proxy configured needs authentication: Incorrect proxy credentials set in the App.
   • No message is shown — Proxy settings are set correctly.
8. If the Helper service (BS) is not working — The App displays a Fix button which helps restore the App to its original state. To confirm, please check the system’s Activity Monitor to ensure:

   • That the masSync and masMonitor processes are running.

   • That only one instance each of the above processes is running.

Log collection.

The Monotype App makes it easy for you to collect and share log files with us, helping our Support teams efficiently troubleshoot any issues you may be facing.

To create a zipped package of the log files automatically:

1. On the Settings page, click on Open besides the Troubleshoot heading, as shown below:

   

2. Once on the Troubleshoot pane, click on the Show logs button to generate logs, as shown below:

    

You may also collect and share log files manually from the following locations:

Mac OS

• Installer log: /tmp/bitrock_installer*.log

• BS log: ~/Library/Application/Support/Monotype/BackgroundService/logs/masLog.txt

• App log: ~/Library/Application/Support/Monotype/desktop/app/logs/app.log

Windows

• Installer log: C:\Users\AppData\Local\Temp\bitrock_installer*.log (Include all files that match the given pattern.)
• BS log: C:\Users\AppData\Local\Monotype desktop app\BackgroundService\logs\masLog.txt
• App log: C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\Monotype desktop app\logs\app.log

Uninstalling the Monotype app.

Run the Uninstaller application to uninstall the Monotype App from your system. The Uninstaller can be found at the following paths on Mac and Windows:

• Mac: /Applications/Monotype desktop app/uninstall.app

• Windows: C:\Program Files(x86)\Monotype desktop app\uninstall.exe

Please keep the following in mind for a complete uninstallation of the Monotype App:

• Please wait while the uninstaller is running for the uninstallation to be completed.

• Please check for the presence of the following folders post uninstallation:

  • Mac: /Applications/Monotype desktop app

  • Windows: C:\Program Files(x86)\Monotype desktop app

If there are files remaining in these folders after uninstallation is complete, please restart your system and delete the remaining files manually.