Name: Typeface
Rating: 4.6 (656 reviews)

Sandbox restrictions

Typeface app is a secure, sandboxed macOS application. That means it only has access to the fonts you import and cannot access any of your personal files.

The sandbox also restricts the use of several system services to protect your privacy, such as recording your screen, camera and microphone or seeing what you type in other apps.

On macOS 27 Golden Gate listening for font requests from other apps seems to be restricted as well. It’s unclear whether this is a deliberate restriction or a bug.

When you open a document in a design app or word processor that application will try to load the fonts used in that document. Fonts that are not activated will be sent as font requests to font managers such as Typeface. Unfortunately Typeface does not receive these requests anymore on macOS 27, therefore it cannot auto activate fonts for native macOS apps such as Affinity, Sketch, Photoshop and others.

Get the helper app

To enable auto activation for the Mac App Store version of Typeface you can download a separate helper app. This helper application can listen for font requests and forwards them to Typeface.

Requirements

macOS 27 Golden Gate / macOS 26.7+ Tahoe / macOS 15.8+ Sequoia
The latest version Typeface app purchased on the Mac App Store
Typeface > Settings > Activation > Auto Activation > Other apps needs to be enabled

The helper app is not needed if you’re using the Standalone or Setapp version of Typeface. These versions support auto activation out of the box.

Installation

Download the Typeface Auto Activation Helper app
Unzip the app and move it to your Applications folder
Open the helper app
Turn on Enable Service

The helper app will show green checkmarks if all requirements are met. It will automatically run in the background when Typeface is launched, so you can close the helper app and auto activation will continue to work while Typeface is running.

Is the helper app safe?

This helper application is not sandboxed such that it can listen for font requests on macOS 27. These requests are securely forwarded to the App Store version of Typeface.

Sandboxed applications are inherently more secure since they have access to fewer things on your Mac. That doesn’t mean that non sandboxed apps are insecure, but you do have to be more careful. Always make sure you trust the developer before installing apps on your Mac.

The Typeface Auto Activation Helper is notarized, which means it has been checked by Apple for malicious components and it has been signed by a registered macOS developer. Unnotarized apps will show a warning when trying to open them. For more information see: support.apple.com/en-us/102445

Is the helper app required to use Typeface?

No, you don’t need the helper app to use Typeface and manage your fonts. The helper app is optional and can be installed if you’d like to enable auto activation for Affinity, Sketch, Photoshop and other native macOS apps on macOS 27, macOS 26.7+ or macOS 15.8+ using the Mac App Store version of Typeface.

On earlier versions of macOS Typeface receives font requests natively. The helper app is also not necessary to enable auto activation for Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe InCopy and QuarkXpress, or if you’re using the Standalone or Setapp versions of Typeface.

Fonts are not auto activated even with the helper app installed

If the helper app is installed and shows all green checkmarks it will listen for font requests from other apps. These apps need to be non-sandboxed, as sandboxed design applications are unfortunately affected by the same restriction and are not allowed to send font requests.

That means that apps downloaded from the Mac App Store, such as Pages and Keynote, will not support auto activation. This is restricted by Apple — font managers cannot solve this.

If you need this functionality for your workflow please provide feedback to Apple via www.apple.com/feedback/macos/ or Feedback Assistant. Mention ‘FB24764122’ in your report to refer to the issue report submitted by Typeface app.

Auto Activation on macOS 27