How to Check a Font's License on Any Website
A practical, four-step way to go from seeing a font on a website to knowing whether you may use it.
1. Why It Is Worth Checking
Seeing a font on a website tells you nothing about whether you may use it. Fonts are software, and each one ships with a license that says where it can be used: on a website, in an app, in print, in a logo, or only on your own desktop. Some licenses allow everything. Others allow only personal use, or charge by page views, app installs or the number of people using the font.
This guide shows a practical way to go from "I like that font" to "I know what I am allowed to do with it." It works for a competitor's site, a client's old website, or your own project when nobody remembers where the fonts came from.
2. Step 1: Find Which Fonts a Website Uses
You need the font's real name before you can look up its license. There are three reliable ways to find it.
Use your browser's developer tools
Right-click the text, choose Inspect, and select the text element. In Chrome and Edge, open the Computed tab and scroll to the bottom to see Rendered Fonts, which lists the font actually drawn on screen and where it came from. In Firefox, the Fonts panel in the Inspector shows the same information.
Do not rely on the font-family value alone. It is a list of preferences, and the browser may be showing the second or third choice.
Look at the font files in the Network tab
Open DevTools, go to the Network tab, filter by Font, and reload the page. Each font file the site downloaded appears with its address, usually ending in .woff2 or .woff. The address tells you who serves the font, which is the next step.
Read the CSS
In the Sources tab or by searching the page's stylesheets, look for @font-face rules. They name each font family and point to its files. Many sites also load a stylesheet from a font service, which you can open directly to see the families it defines.
3. Step 2: Identify Where the Font Comes From
The address of the font file is the quickest clue to its license. These are the most common sources:
| If the font file or stylesheet comes from | It is usually | Where to check the license |
|---|---|---|
fonts.googleapis.com / fonts.gstatic.com | Google Fonts | The font's page on Google Fonts (License section) |
fonts.bunny.net | Bunny Fonts (a privacy-focused host of open-source fonts) | The font's page on Bunny Fonts, or the original open-source license |
use.typekit.net / p.typekit.net | Adobe Fonts | The Adobe Fonts account that owns the project |
cloud.typography.com | Hoefler&Co. web fonts | The paid web font license behind that project |
The site's own domain, such as /fonts/name.woff2 | Self-hosted: could be open source, purchased, or copied | Purchase records, the license file that came with the download, or the font file's metadata |
Self-hosted fonts are the ones that need the most care. The file name may not match the real font name, and a font that is free to download is not always free to use commercially.
4. Step 3: Look Up the License
Google Fonts and Bunny Fonts
Most fonts in these libraries use the SIL Open Font License (OFL). A smaller number use the Apache License 2.0 or the Ubuntu Font License. Each font's page states which one applies. You can also search by name in our Font License Checker, which shows the license type and what it allows for commercial, web, app and print use.
Adobe Fonts
Adobe Fonts are licensed through an Adobe subscription and are delivered from Adobe's servers. They are not yours to extract and host elsewhere, and the right to use them is tied to the subscription and the project. If you did not create the project, you cannot assume you have a license just because the site uses them.
Paid foundry fonts
Commercial fonts usually have separate licenses for desktop, web, app and server use, often priced by page views, installs or users. Check the receipt, the license agreement (EULA) that came with the download, or the foundry's account page. If the site you are looking at uses a paid font, the license belongs to that site's owner, not to you.
Self-hosted font files with no paperwork
Open the font file in a font viewer or font editor and look at its name table. The fields for license description and license URL (name IDs 13 and 14) often name the license or point to it. If they are empty, the license is unknown, and you should treat the font as unlicensed until you can prove otherwise.
5. Step 4: Read What the License Actually Allows
Finding the license name is only half the job. Match your intended use against what the license permits:
- Website use: embedding the font with CSS. Open-source licenses allow this. Paid licenses often cap page views.
- Desktop use: installing the font to design in Figma, Photoshop or Illustrator.
- Apps: bundling the font inside a mobile or desktop app is often a separate license.
- Print and PDFs: some licenses limit embedding fonts in documents you distribute.
- Logos and branding: open-source fonts such as OFL fonts can be used in logos. Check commercial fonts for logo-specific terms.
- Modifying or redistributing: the OFL allows modification and redistribution, but you cannot sell the font on its own, and modified versions must not use any Reserved Font Name.
6. What to Do If the License Is Unclear
- Do not copy the font. Downloading a font from another site, or from a free-font site with no license, does not give you rights to it.
- Contact the foundry or designer. Give them the font name and your intended use, and ask for the license in writing.
- Switch to a safe alternative. If you only need a similar look, an open-source font is often close enough. See Google Fonts alternatives for matches, and preview them in the comparison tool.
- Keep records. Save the license file, the receipt, and the font version for every font you ship.
7. Common Mistakes
- Assuming "free download" means "free for commercial use." Many free fonts are free for personal use only.
- Buying a desktop license and using the font on a website. Desktop and web licenses are often separate.
- Forgetting apps, PDFs and email. Each can need its own permission.
- Trusting the file name. A renamed font file hides its origin.
- Not keeping the license text. If a client or platform asks later, you need proof.
Font License Audit Checklist
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find out which font a website uses?
Yes. Right-click the text, choose Inspect, and open the Computed tab to see Rendered Fonts in Chrome or Edge. You can also filter the Network tab by Font to see the font files the page downloaded.
Does seeing a font on a website mean I can use it?
No. The license belongs to the site's owner or to the font's creator. You need to check the license of the font itself, and you may need to buy your own.
Are Google Fonts free for commercial use?
Most Google Fonts use the SIL Open Font License, and a smaller number use the Apache License 2.0 or the Ubuntu Font License. These generally allow commercial use, but check the license listed for each font.
How do I check the license of a self-hosted font file?
Look for a license file in the download, check your purchase records, or open the font in a font viewer and read the license fields in its name table. If you cannot find a license, treat the font as unlicensed until you can confirm otherwise.
Is there a free tool to check a font's license?
Our Font License Checker looks up Google Fonts, Bunny Fonts and Fontshare fonts by name and shows the license type and what it allows. It does not scan a live website, so find the font names first using the steps above.
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