Core guide · Licensing
Can a font be embedded in a website or app?
Check webfont and app-embedding permissions before including a font file in a digital product.
Only when the licence explicitly allows the intended type of embedding. Desktop use, web embedding and app distribution are separate permissions.
Why embedding is different
A website or app delivers part or all of the font file to users. That is different from exporting a static image. The licence may limit domains, page views, applications, user numbers or the technical protection applied to the file.
Website checks
Confirm web embedding permission and use an authorised WOFF2 package. Serve only the styles and characters needed, configure caching and avoid exposing unrelated desktop files in a public directory.
- Permission for web use
- Allowed domains and traffic
- Permitted formats and subsetting
- Attribution or licence-file requirements
App and game checks
App embedding may need a separate licence because the font ships inside an installable product. State the platform, number of titles, distribution model and whether users can extract or create content with the font when asking the rights holder.
Embedding copies the font into a product
A screenshot or outlined logo contains shapes, while web, app, game, e-book and document embedding usually packages font data so software can render new text. That difference is why a licence may permit printed output but require separate webfont or application rights. Publicly reachable font URLs also create a redistribution risk when files can be downloaded outside the intended page.
Define the destination, audience, platforms and delivery method before checking the licence. A website loaded from a server, a mobile app distributed through a store, a desktop installer and an editable presentation expose the file in different ways.
Technical and licence checklist
For websites, use authorised WOFF2 files, serve them from controlled origins, declare only the required weights and subset only when modification is allowed. For apps and games, identify whether the font ships inside the package, is downloaded later or is used only to create static textures. Keep notices and attribution where the licence requires them.
Access controls and obfuscation can reduce casual copying but do not create permission. Keep the licence, purchase record or written grant with the release materials, and review it again before changing platforms or adding user-generated text.
- Is web, app, game, e-book or document embedding expressly covered?
- May the file be converted, subsetted or renamed?
- Must copyright or licence notices travel with the product?
- Does the licence limit domains, apps, users, views or distribution?
This guide explains general font practice and the permissions displayed by Trusted Free Fonts. The complete licence attached to a specific font remains the controlling text.