In the late 2000s, MySpace was the premier social media platform in the world – mainly because of the profile customization options that it offered. In 2008, Facebook overtook the platform in terms of users and popularity, and that signaled the beginning of the end for the platform. In the current era, Instagram is the spiritual successor to MySpace in many ways – but does it let you do even a fraction of the customization?
The ability to personalize your online spaces is a way to exert control and agency over your presence and better express yourself. While you can’t curate every aspect of your profile on Instagram, you can take back some of that control by changing the font you use. This guide will show you how to do just that.
Can You Change the Font on Instagram?
On Instagram, there are some areas where you can change fonts easily – for example, in stories. However, the main feed and profile lack any obvious font customization options. So can you change the font on your Instagram as a whole?
You can, though it takes a little time and effort. Instagram uses the Proxima Nova font for most of the small text on the site (for instance, comments and post captions). The site does not offer a direct way to change this, but there are workarounds.
To start with, you need to decide on and source the font that you want to use.
How to Get Different Fonts on Instagram
To ensure that the platform can work with different alphabets and symbols, Instagram supports most Unicode scripts. This means you can search the Unicode site to locate a font to use when changing your Instagram font.
Search through Unicode’s library of fonts to source your favorite, but while browsing, remember: your chosen font should be clear and legible if you want to communicate effectively with your followers. Anything too complicated or flowery may confuse or frustrate readers. Likewise, certain ornate fonts will not be accessible for those who use assistive technology, such as screen readers.
How to Change the Font on Instagram
Once you have a font that you like, it’s time to put it to use. Some Unicode characters can be inserted into Instagram using keyboard shortcuts, but if you want to substitute more than a few characters, this will take a long time. It’s far more efficient to copy and paste your whole caption from an app.
CoolFonts is a great and accessible site that will allow you to try out a range of fonts, many of which are listed on Unicode or are similar to ones listed on Unicode. Here’s how to use CoolFonts to change your Instagram comment and caption font:
- Visit CoolFont.org
- Enter your caption or comment
- Browse the font options that the site presents
- Tap the Decorate button if you want to use additional symbols, such as hearts or stars
- Once you are happy with the text you’ve created, copy it
- Enter Instagram and create your post, or find the post you want to comment on
- Paste your text into Instagram and proceed as normal
Once you do this, you will have custom font on your Instagram posts, profile, or comments. As you can see, this is an easy but mildly lengthy process.
FAQs
Can I change the appearance of my Instagram profile?
While you can take some steps to customize your Instagram profile, you cannot change the appearance of your profile in the way that was previously possible with older sites, like MySpace or Bebo.
Can I create my own font for Instagram?
Yes, you can use sites like Unicode, or font generator tools, to create your very own font to use on Instagram. The exact process of doing this will change depending on which site or generator you use.
Can I customize my Instagram profile with music?
You cannot add music to your Instagram profile as a whole, like you might’ve done before on MySpace. However, you can add music to your Instagram posts, stories, and notes.
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