How to Install Microsoft Fonts on Manjaro 21 Linux
The next time you open a Word document or load a website that relies on Times New Roman, you’ll know how to get those familiar fonts without paying for a subscription. This guide walks through pulling the Microsoft core font set onto a fresh Manjaro 21 installation.
Why You Need Microsoft Fonts
If LibreOffice or any PDF viewer is missing the default Windows typefaces, your documents can look oddly spaced or even unreadable. I’ve seen users struggle to print a résumé that suddenly turns into a string of question marks because Times New Roman was absent. Installing the core fonts fixes those layout headaches instantly.
1. Make Sure Your System Is Up‑to‑Date
sudo pacman -Syu
Keeping packages current ensures the AUR helper you’ll use later works without hiccups and that your system has the latest security patches.
2. Install an AUR Helper (If You Don’t Already Have One)
AUR helpers simplify fetching community‑maintained packages. Paru is lightweight and actively maintained.
sudo pacman -S --needed git base-devel
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/paru.git
cd paru
makepkg -si
Why this matters? Without an AUR helper, you’d have to manually download the PKGBUILD and handle dependencies one by one—a pain that’s not worth the extra effort for a single font set.
3. Pull the Microsoft Font Package from the AUR
paru -S ttf-ms-fonts
When prompted, type “y” to accept the license agreement. The package downloads the TrueType files (Arial, Calibri, Cambria, etc.) and installs them into /usr/share/fonts/truetype/microsoft.
4. Refresh the Font Cache
After installation, force a full cache rebuild so applications immediately see the new typefaces.
fc-cache -fv
Skipping this step may leave old documents looking strange because the font lookup still points to the missing fonts list.
5. Verify Installation (Optional but Handy)
Open any document in LibreOffice or use fc-list:
fc-list | grep "Microsoft"
You should see a line for each installed family. If nothing appears, double‑check that the files are in /usr/share/fonts/truetype/microsoft.
6. Keep Your Fonts Fresh
The AUR package will stay updated whenever the upstream repository changes. To update:
paru -Syu ttf-ms-fonts
That’s all you need to keep those familiar fonts working across your Manjaro system.
Enjoy a more authentic document‑rendering experience on Linux without breaking any license terms—or your workflow.
