Typewriter Font: Courier and Free Old Typewriter Fonts

What Is the Typewriter Font Called?

There is no single typewriter font, but the font in typewriter history most people mean is Courier. The Courier typeface was designed by Howard Kettler for IBM typewriters in 1955. It became so common that it is now the classic "typed" look.

• Courier New font: a digital version that comes with Windows and Mac. It is thinner and lighter than the original. If you see a typewriter font in Word, it is usually Courier New.
• Courier Prime font: a free, modern take on Courier made for screenplays. It looks bolder and cleaner on screen and is released under the SIL Open Font License.
• American Typewriter font: the font ITC American Typewriter is a softer, rounder typewriter style that is not monospaced. It comes with Mac computers and is a popular choice for cafes, labels and quotes. The licence is held by ITC, so outside a Mac you buy it from a font store.
• Special Elite: a free Google font with a worn, inky old typewriter font look, good for vintage posters.

Courier type fonts like Courier New and Courier Prime are monospaced, which is the typed look. Fonts like American Typewriter only copy the letter shapes.

Free Typewriter Font Download Options

You do not need to pay to get the typewriter look. These are safe free options:

For a Courier New font free download, you usually do not need one, because it ships with Windows and Mac. It is a licensed system font, so do not grab it from random sites; use Courier Prime if you need a free file to share. Fonts like the Mom's Typewriter font are found on free font sites, but many such fonts are free for personal use only, so read the licence first. Our free font download guide lists safe places to look.

Typewriter Font in Word and Google Docs

Typewriter font in Word: open the font list and pick Courier New. For a nicer look, install Courier Prime (right-click the .ttf file and choose Install), restart Word, then select it. If you will send the file to others, the safest typewriter font Word choice is Courier New, because everyone has it.

Typewriter font Google Docs steps: Courier New is in the default list. For more choices, click the font menu, choose "More fonts", search for Courier Prime, Special Elite or Cutive Mono, and add them. They are then in your list for every document.

On a website, use a fallback stack so it still looks typed if a font fails: font-family: 'Courier Prime', 'Courier New', monospace;

Typewriter Font Copy and Paste for Instagram

Real fonts only work inside apps where they are installed. To put a typewriter style in your Instagram bio, WhatsApp status or a game name, you need special Unicode characters instead. Our font generator works as a typewriter font generator: type your text and copy the monospace style (it looks like 𝚃𝚢𝚙𝚎𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛). Paste it anywhere that supports Unicode.

On WhatsApp you can also wrap text in three backticks, like ```hello```, to show it in monospace. See our WhatsApp font page for more tricks. Keep important info in normal text, because some phones and screen readers handle Unicode styles poorly.

Typewriter Writing Font for Letters, Stamps and Indian Languages

• Typewriter writing font for letters and journals: Courier Prime reads well in long text, while Special Elite gives an old letter feel for short notes and invitations.
• Typewriter font stamps: for a rubber-stamp or label look, use a worn font like Special Elite, make it bold, add a rectangle border and a slightly faded red or blue colour in Canva or Photoshop.
• Bengali typewriter font and other Indian scripts: Courier and Courier Prime cover English letters only. For Bengali, Hindi, Sinhala or other scripts, use a free Unicode font such as Noto Sans Bengali or Noto Sans Devanagari from Google Fonts. They do not copy a typewriter look, but they type correctly on phones and computers. Our Hindi font download guide has more.

Typewriter Font Tattoo, Screenplays and Other Uses

• Tattoos: a typewriter font tattoo of a date, name or short quote looks simple and timeless. Choose a slightly bolder font like Courier Prime or American Typewriter so thin lines do not blur over time, and keep the text short. Ask your tattoo artist to print a test at the real size.
• Screenplays: film scripts are traditionally typed in 12 point Courier, which is why Courier Prime was made.
• Vintage posters and quotes: Special Elite gives a worn look. Pair it with a bold serif or a Bebas Neue headline.
• Code: typewriter fonts are monospaced like code fonts, but modern coding fonts are easier on the eyes for programming.

Need a Hindi typing look? Hindi typing tests and some offices still use Kruti Dev, which follows the old typewriter keyboard layout.