Apple re-introduced its popular San Francisco font in 2014, releasing it to developers to use in watchOS. Initially, the San Francisco font was available only on watchOS but was soon ported to OS X El Capitan, iOS 9, and more. If you want to download the latest San Francisco (SF) font or its variants, you can use these instructions.

History of the San Francisco Font

San Francisco was one of the original fonts that shipped on Apple’s first Macintosh computers. The wild-looking font was designed by legendary designer Susan Kare, known for the beautiful fonts and icons that powered the early Macintosh user interface.

The San Francisco font mimicked a ransom note in its first iteration and was used both in early Apple demos and advertising flyers. Sadly, the original San Francisco font was a bitmap typeface made obsolete with Macintosh System 7, which left behind the bitmap typeface and transitioned to TrueType fonts.

Skip ahead to 2014, and the San Francisco font was reimagined for the Apple Watch. The new San Francisco font delivers a polished and modern look that is very readable on Apple’s mobile and desktop devices. Its generous spacing makes it ideal for the smaller screens of the Apple Watch and iPhone.

How to Download the San Francisco Font

You can download this font and its variants from Apple’s developer website. You do not need to be a developer to download these fonts.

1. Begin by visiting the font page on Apple’s developer website.
2. Click on the download button to download the installer for the desired font.

How to Install the San Francisco Font

1. After the download is complete, you should open Finder and locate the DMG installer for the font.
2. Double click on the installer to open the font package and double click on the font to begin the installation.
3. Follow the prompts and accept the license (if you agree to it) to complete the installation.

How to Manage Your Fonts

Font Book lists and categorizes all the fonts on your Mac. You can preview the font and manage it right within the Font Book app.

1. Start by opening Launchpad and selecting the Other folder to find the Font Book app. Alternatively, you can open Finder and navigate to the Application folder.
2. Open the Font Book app, and you will see listings of all the fonts installed on your computer.
3. You can click on the font to view a preview or right-click for a context menu that allows you to disable the, remove the font, and more.