Squarespace Font Retirement: 3 Font Replacement Tips
Recently Squarespace announced they're retiring a collection of fonts. Since their font library relies on third-party providers, very occasionally a font has to be removed. Once that happens, it can no longer be used within the platform including within existing live Squarespace websites.
With fonts being crucial to brand identity, readability, and consistency, a quick, automatic change isn't always the right one.
This guide will walk you through:
How Squarespace helps with replacing retired fonts
Why you shouldn't blindly trust the suggested replacement
And the three crucial steps to vet your new font choices
First things first, let's start with how to check if your Squarespace site has a font that needs replacing and then we'll take it from there!
All opinions are my own and I only endorse products or services I genuinely recommend. The word “Squarespace” is a trademark of Squarespace, Inc. Larva Limited is not employed by Squarespace.
Upcoming Font Retirement Dates:
3 November 2025 - If no action is taken by 3rd November 2025, any retired fonts will automatically update to a designer-curated replacement.
What Squarespace Does to Help (and Where It Falls Slightly Short)
The Dashboard Alert:
Good news! It's super easy to check if your site uses a retired font, Squarespace will flag it in your account dashboard and in the site's main menu. Here's how to check and what to look out for...
STEP 1 - Log into you Squarespace account and Dashboard
STEP 2 - When you log into your Squarespace Dashboard you'll see something like this...
If you have more than one Squarespace website you can easily check which ones have fonts that are retired....and you'll see something like ‘1 font is retiring soon Review’ next to each site that has fonts that need replacing...
Automatic Replacement Suggestions:
And there's more good news, Squarespace offers a suggested replacement font, or multiple fonts, for retired ones.
The Benefit: It provides an immediate, similar-looking option(s) to keep your site functional.
The Catch: The “closest match” is often purely visual and might not maintain the required readability or brand tone when applied site-wide. This is where manual review is essential.
PRO TIPS:
Once you select a suggested replacement font there is no going back to the old / retiring font.
To accurately assess a new font, keep the original site open across desktop, tablet, and mobile browsers for direct comparison with new browser tabs to view the site after the change. This concurrent view is essential for fine-tuning the new font's size and letter spacing on each device.
The 3 Critical Checks Before Accepting a New Font (Vetting Process):
Check 1: Brand Consistency & Tone
Does the new font still match your brand's personality? (e.g. switching a classic serif for a modern sans-serif completely changes the feel).
Action: Compare the suggested font with your brand's logos, marketing materials, and overall mood board. Does it still feel like you?
Check 2: Legibility and Hierarchy (Size & Weight)
A font's metrics change. The suggested replacement might be the same point size but look much smaller or thinner than the original.
Action: Review all text elements:
Body Text (Paragraphs): Is the x-height (the height of lowercase letters) high enough for comfortable reading?
Headings (H1, H2): Does the weight/thickness still create a clear visual hierarchy? You may need to manually adjust the font weight and size settings in Site Styles.
Accessibility Note: Ensure high contrast and use adequate line height for body copy.
Check 3: Site Speed and Loading
While Squarespace manages the font files, adding excessive font styles (weights, italics) can still impact load time.
Action: Where possible stick to a maximum of two font families (one for headings, one for paragraphs) and only load the specific weights you need (e.g., Regular 400 and Bold 700).
What to Do If Squarespace Doesn't Have Your Perfect Font
1) Upload a Custom Font:
The Squarespace font collection includes 600 Google fonts and 1,000 Adobe Fonts. This collection doesn't include every available Google or Adobe font though but you can scroll to browse the full Squarespace library, or use the menu's search field to search for a specific font.
To upload a custom font in Squarespace 7.1:
Open the Site styles panel, then click > next to Fonts.
Click a font format, like Headings, Paragraph, or Buttons.
Click the font dropdown menu, then click the upload icon.
Click and drag the file from your computer into the upload area, or click + and select the file to upload.
After you upload a font, it appears as an option in any font tweak.
To upload a custom font in Squarespace 7.0:
Open the Design panel, then click Site Styles.
Click a font tweak, then click the font dropdown menu.
Click the upload icon.
Click and drag the file from your computer into the upload area, or click + and select the file to upload.
After you upload a font, it appears as an option in any font tweak.
2) Recommended Alternatives:
Here are a couple of popular, reliable replacements for common styles:
- If you lost a Serif font: Look at Libre Baskerville, Lora, or Merriweather.
- If you lost a Sans-Serif font: Look at Inter, Montserrat, or Poppins.
Not sure what serif and sans-serif means? Read on…
Serif Fonts
Serif literally means "with feet" or "with strokes."
Simple Visual Analogy:
A classic table with little decorative knobs on the legs.
Hint! This is a serif font
Sans-Serif Fonts
Sans is French for "without," so sans-serif means "without strokes" or "without feet."
Simple Visual Analogy:
A sleek, modern table with straight, simple legs.
Hint! This is a sans-serif font.
Do you really have to do it yourself?
Of course not!
If you’re busy running your business, let me handle any font frustrations for you.
Contact me for a quick, stress-free font audit and replacement - get in touch.
Upcoming Font Retirement Dates:
3 November 2025 - If no action is taken by 3rd November 2025, any retired fonts will automatically update to a designer-curated replacement.
Let’s Recap!
Every so often Squarespace has to retire a collection of fonts. If you have a Squarespace website that is using a font that is being retired it will need to be replaced with a different font.
First check your Squarespace Dashboard to see if your site(s) has any fonts that are retiring
If there are retiring fonts vet the suggested replacement fonts to find the best fit
Upload a custom font if the suggested replacements don’t work well with your website
Need help? Get in touch for a quick, stress-free font audit and replacement.
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