Install WOFF Font Files on Linux Ubuntu   

In this short guide, you'll see how to install WOFF (Web Open Font Format) font files on Ubuntu and Linux systems.

Here you can find the short answer:

(1) Convert WOFF to TTF first

sudo apt install woff2
woff2_decompress font.woff2

(2) Install font system-wide

sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/share/fonts/custom
sudo cp font.ttf /usr/local/share/fonts/custom/
sudo fc-cache -f -v

(3) Install for current user only

mkdir -p ~/.local/share/fonts
cp font.ttf ~/.local/share/fonts/
fc-cache -f

So let's see several methods to install WOFF fonts like Excalifont and Virgil on Ubuntu.

Suppose you want to install fonts like:

• Excalifont - Hand-drawn style font for Excalidraw
• Virgil - Sketch-style handwriting font
• Custom WOFF fonts from web projects

1: Convert WOFF to TTF format

Let's start with converting WOFF fonts to TTF format, since Linux font management works better with TTF/OTF:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install woff2

cd ~/Downloads
woff2_decompress Excalifont.woff2

ls -lh Excalifont*

result will be:

-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 45K Dec 15 10:30 Excalifont.woff2
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 89K Dec 15 10:31 Excalifont.ttf

The woff2_decompress tool converts WOFF2 files to TTF format, which is compatible with all Linux applications.

For WOFF (version 1) files, use FontForge instead:

sudo apt install fontforge

fontforge -lang=py -c 'import fontforge; \
f=fontforge.open("Virgil.woff"); \
f.generate("Virgil.ttf")'

result:

Virgil.ttf successfully created

2: Install fonts system-wide for all users

The recommended method for system-wide installation puts fonts in /usr/local/share/fonts/:

sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/share/fonts/excalidraw

sudo cp Excalifont.ttf /usr/local/share/fonts/excalidraw/
sudo cp Virgil.ttf /usr/local/share/fonts/excalidraw/

sudo fc-cache -f -v

fc-list | grep -i excalifont

result:

Scanning directory /usr/local/share/fonts/excalidraw
/usr/local/share/fonts/excalidraw: caching, new cache contents: 2 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/local/share/fonts/excalidraw/Excalifont.ttf: Excalifont:style=Regular

What each command does:

• mkdir -p - Creates font directory structure
• cp - Copies font files to system location
• fc-cache -f -v - Rebuilds font cache (critical step)
• fc-list - Verifies fonts are installed and available

Fonts are now available system-wide for all users and applications including LibreOffice, GIMP, Inkscape, and web browsers.

3: Install fonts for current user only

For single-user installations or when you don't have sudo access, install to your home directory:

mkdir -p ~/.local/share/fonts/custom

cp Excalifont.ttf ~/.local/share/fonts/custom/
cp Virgil.ttf ~/.local/share/fonts/custom/

fc-cache -f

fc-list | grep -E "(Excalifont|Virgil)"

result:

/home/user/.local/share/fonts/custom/Excalifont.ttf: Excalifont:style=Regular
/home/user/.local/share/fonts/custom/Virgil.ttf: Virgil:style=Regular

This method doesn't require sudo and fonts are immediately available in your applications after running fc-cache.

4: Install multiple fonts with a script

For installing multiple fonts from a project like Excalidraw, automate the process:

#!/bin/bash

FONT_DIR="$HOME/.local/share/fonts/excalidraw"
TEMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d)

cd "$TEMP_DIR"

wget https://plus.excalidraw.com/excalifont -O Excalifont.woff2
wget https://plus.excalidraw.com/virgil -O Virgil.woff2

for woff in *.woff2; do
    woff2_decompress "$woff"
done

mkdir -p "$FONT_DIR"
cp *.ttf "$FONT_DIR/"

fc-cache -f

echo "Installed fonts:"
fc-list | grep -E "(Excalifont|Virgil)"

rm -rf "$TEMP_DIR"

result:

Installed fonts:
/home/user/.local/share/fonts/excalidraw/Excalifont.ttf: Excalifont:style=Regular
/home/user/.local/share/fonts/excalidraw/Virgil.ttf: Virgil:style=Regular

This script downloads, converts, installs, and verifies fonts automatically.

5: Verify font installation in applications

After installation, verify fonts work in your applications:

Command line check:

fc-list : family | grep -i excali
fc-match Excalifont

result:

Excalifont
Excalifont.ttf: "Excalifont" "Regular"

LibreOffice test:

1. Open LibreOffice Writer
2. Click Font dropdown
3. Type "Excalifont"
4. Font should appear in list

GIMP test:

1. Open GIMP
2. Select Text tool (T)
3. Click Font selector
4. Search for "Virgil"

Web browser test:
Create test.html:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
@font-face {
    font-family: 'Excalifont';
    src: local('Excalifont');
}
body { font-family: 'Excalifont', sans-serif; font-size: 24px; }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Testing Excalifont installation</p>
</body>
</html>

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Problem: Font not showing after fc-cache

Solution: Restart the application or log out/in

Problem: "woff2_decompress not found"

Solution: Install woff2 tools: sudo apt install woff2

Problem: Permission denied when copying to /usr/local/share/fonts

Solution: Use sudo or install to ~/.local/share/fonts/ instead

Problem: Font appears but looks wrong

Solution: Clear font cache: rm -rf ~/.cache/fontconfig/

Font Directories on Linux

Resources

• Ubuntu Font Installation Guide
• Excalidraw Fonts
• FontForge Documentation
• Linux Font Configuration