The guide explains how to install Microsoft’s core TrueType fonts on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS so that LibreOffice, browsers and other applications render Word documents and web pages exactly as they appear on Windows. It walks through enabling the multiverse repository, updating apt, installing the ttf‑mscorefonts‑installer package (accepting Microsoft’s license), refreshing the font cache with fc-cache, and verifying the fonts with fc-list. Optional tweaks for subpixel rendering are also mentioned, but the essential steps ensure the system can use Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana and other Microsoft fonts without fallback substitutions.

Install Microsoft Fonts on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS – Get Word‑Ready Docs and Web Pages

If you’ve ever opened a Word document on Ubuntu and watched the text turn into a garbled mess, this guide is for you. I’ll walk through pulling in the classic Microsoft fonts so LibreOffice, your browser, or any other app can render those files without resorting to “Comic Sans” as a fallback.

Why the Microsoft core fonts matter

Microsoft’s “core fonts for the Web” (Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana, etc.) are still the default in countless PDFs and HTML pages. Ubuntu ships with free alternatives that look similar but not identical – the difference shows up in sidebars, tables of contents, and any layout that depends on exact character widths. Installing the real thing eliminates those subtle shifts.

Step 1 – Enable the multiverse repository

The fonts live in a package that lives outside Ubuntu’s main archive. Run:

sudo add-apt-repository multiverse

Adding multiverse tells apt to look at software that isn’t strictly open‑source but is still safe to install. Skipping this step means the ttf-mscorefonts-installer package simply won’t be found.

Step 2 – Refresh your package list

sudo apt update

Updating refreshes the index so apt knows about the newly enabled repository. It also pulls in any security fixes that might have landed for other packages you already use.

Step 3 – Install the Microsoft core fonts package

sudo apt install ttf-mscorefonts-installer

During installation you’ll be prompted to accept a license agreement from Microsoft. Hit “OK” and then “Yes”. The installer downloads the actual font files from SourceForge, verifies them, and drops them into /usr/share/fonts/truetype/msttcorefonts. If the download fails (it sometimes does on flaky connections), just re‑run the same command – apt will pick up where it left off.

Real‑world note: I’ve seen this fail after a bad driver update that broke network DNS resolution. A quick sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager and rerunning the install usually clears it up.

Step 4 – Refresh the font cache

fc-cache -f -v

The Fontconfig cache tells every program where to find newly added fonts. Skipping this can leave LibreOffice thinking the fonts are still missing, forcing you to restart the app anyway.

Step 5 – Verify the fonts are available

Open a terminal and type:

fc-list | grep -i "arial"

You should see entries for Arial.ttf, Arial Bold.ttf, etc. If nothing shows up, double‑check that /usr/share/fonts/truetype/msttcorefonts exists and contains the .ttf files.

Optional: Tweak font rendering

Ubuntu’s default subpixel rendering works fine for most people, but if you’re a typography nerd you might prefer tweaking ~/.config/fontconfig/conf.d/99-sans.conf. Adding:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "fonts.dtd">
<fontconfig>
<match target="font">
<test name="family"><string>Arial</string></test>
<edit name="rgba" mode="assign"><const>rgb</const></edit>
<edit name="hintstyle" mode="assign"><const>hintfull</const></edit>
</match>
</fontconfig>

gives you a crisper look on LCD panels. Not required, but it’s a nice touch if you’re already fiddling with font settings.

That’s all there is to it. Your Ubuntu 22.04 LTS system now speaks the same typographic language as Windows, so documents and web pages will render exactly how they were meant to.