Missing fonts

The following fonts are installed in /Library/Fonts, but do not show up in Font Book and are not available for use in TextEdit etc:


  • Athelas.ttc
  • Charter.ttc
  • Marion.ttc
  • Seravek.ttc
  • SuperClarendon.ttc


I followed these instructions from Apple Discussions (font / Font Book problems)


  1. Highlight each of the five fonts and press Command+D to duplicate them. For example, this will produce an "Athelas copy.ttc" file.
  2. Highlight each original font and choose Get Info from the menu bar, or press Command+I. Change the permissions of each to add yourself (the admin account user) with Read/Write privileges.
  3. Move the original, normally named fonts to the trash and restart. Empty the trash


The fonts are still not showing up. macOS 10.13.2

MacBook Pro with Retina display, macOS Sierra (10.12.6), 2014

Posted on Jan 11, 2018 10:39 PM

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Posted on Jan 27, 2018 1:58 PM

but I don't think you read carefully.

I've read all of the topic, but your notes keep changing, or don't fully describe what you're doing. Such as what I highlighted earlier.

I installed them again, without error. They were copied to my user fonts folder, but they are still not showing up in Font Book.

What is "them"? I would imagine the five fonts in question, but installed from what source? What installed the fonts to your user account Fonts folder? The OS will never install any fonts there. So what did?


But forget all that. Apple must have changed something in one of High Sierra's updates, and actually managed to make matters worse. Renaming the fonts no longer works. These five fonts won't show up in Font Book, TextEdit, or other Apple supplied apps no matter what you do.


The only fix now is to delete these font entirely, then grab these same named fonts from a Yosemite installation. You don't need to rename them, or otherwise goof around with the fonts to make them work. I simply dropped them into the Fonts folder of my user account, and there they were (I had already long ago removed the ones installed by High Sierra from the /Library/Fonts/ folder).


As has been the problem since it appeared in El Capitan, Apple has managed to screw up these five fonts only for themselves. Font Book won't show them, but Suitcase Fusion and other third party font managers will. Microsoft Office, the entire Adobe suite, Quark XPress and any other third party app I have can see the High Sierra installed versions. But, the apps installed by Apple with the OS don't. Or, only parts of some of the fonts.


Using the older, Yosemite copies are able to be seen by all apps. I really don't understand why Apple hasn't fixed this yet. Or, I should say, fixed it again.

56 replies

Jan 13, 2018 11:16 AM in response to tygb

I know what restore fonts does, and I tried it because you suggested it.

I know the fonts are in the removed folder. That's why I said they were "removed"

Like I said, I installed them again. They are not showing up.

It sounds like don't have any idea what my problem is. Please stop giving me formula answers before you bugger things up even more.

Jan 28, 2018 3:09 PM in response to exekutive

@CountryGirl56

I believe that only works if the Mac you're on can run Yosemite.

Yes, that is true. exekutive lists their Mac as a 2014 MacBook Pro, which came with Mavericks, 10.9. So, it should have been possible to get Yosemite 10.10 through the App Store.


@exekutive

(Wasn't Mac OS was free after Mavericks?)

Yes, it's just that anything obtained through the App Store is considered a purchase, regardless of whether it's free or costs something.


If you upgraded to Yosemite at any time when it was released, it will be in your list of purchases. Open the App Store and click on the Purchased tab. It should be in there, assuming you obtained Yosemite while it was available. Here's a look at part of my list.


User uploaded file


Otherwise, yes, you're stuck until Apple either fixes this issue (again), or you can find someone running Yosemite and copy the fonts from that Mac.

Jan 28, 2018 3:58 PM in response to CountryGirl56

Unfortunately I never obtained Yosemite with my Apple ID. My point was that if Yosemite was free, why not just make it publicly available for people to download?


Countrygirl, who knows... these particular fonts might end up being the exact ones I need. Imagine you bought a new car, and the CD player didn't work. Even though you didn't need it right then, would you care? And if you don't care, why post about it? Evidently, we do.

Jan 28, 2018 4:48 PM in response to exekutive

Many users have asked that question. Why make previous versions unavailable when the next upgrade is released?


Lion and Mountain Lion remain because they were, and still are a paid item. El Capitan is also somewhat available. It lives for users whose Macs cannot be upgraded past that point. So, Apple makes it available to those users so they can upgrade their older Macs as far as possible.

Jan 28, 2018 4:52 PM in response to CountryGirl56

I think that number is actually low. 😀 I dropped every non-duplicate font into Suitcase once just to see how many individual typefaces I have. I think it was something closer to 16,000. And what do I do with all of these? I mostly write simple letters in Word with Times New Roman. 🙂 The real answer is I have to own my own legal copies of any font clients may use in documents they send.

Jan 29, 2018 8:48 AM in response to CountryGirl56

I must say they look very similar to each other.

Yup, very plain fonts. Other than Super Clarendon, which has kind of a bold, old typewriter look.


The real issue with them not working as they should is for folks who have, over the years, created dozens or hundreds of standing documents in Apple's apps with these fonts. Very much no fun to open the files and have the apps complain the fonts are missing.


But as mentioned, the fonts aren't what don't work. The OS is keeping itself from seeing them. How can you muck up something this simple so badly?

Jan 29, 2018 8:56 AM in response to Kurt Lang

Kurt Lang wrote:


But as mentioned, the fonts aren't what don't work. The OS is keeping itself from seeing them. How can you muck up something this simple so badly?

Since you asked, I think regressions aren't that uncommon with any OS. Especially one so complex. Often in the effort to correct one problem, another is created.


As an example, there are multiple posts complaining you cannot copy a file > 2GB to a FAT32 drive in High Sierra using the Finder despite the fact you could in all previous versions. It's a mystery.

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Missing fonts

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