Your website deserves that perfect touch—a custom font that matches your brand vibes exactly. You’ve found the one, you’re ready to upload custom fonts in Divi Theme on your WordPress site, and then BAM! You hit the dreaded “Sorry, you are not allowed to upload this file type” error.
Frustrating, right? Don’t worry—this blog will walk you through fixing the issue and seamlessly uploading fonts for your Divi Theme site.
By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to:
- Select and download free custom fonts
- Resolve the WordPress upload restriction error
- Set your custom font as the default in Divi
Let’s get into it!
What does it mean when it says file type is not allowed?
When you attempt to upload a custom font in Divi, you may be met with an error message stating “Sorry, you are not allowed to upload this file type.” This occurs because WordPress restricts certain file types from being uploaded for security reasons. However, there are ways to bypass this restriction and successfully upload custom fonts in Divi.
Why Use Custom Fonts?
While WordPress and Divi come loaded with Google and Adobe fonts, custom fonts offer that extra edge by allowing you to:
- Stand out from competitors
- Better reflect your brand’s personality
- Create a consistent visual style across your website
Now that you know the importance of custom fonts, it’s time to select one and get started.
How to Fix the “Sorry, This File Type Is Not Permitted” Error in WordPress and Upload Custom Fonts in Divi
▶️ Please watch the video below to get all the exciting details! 👇🏻
Step 1: Find a Free Custom Font
There are plenty of resources online where you can find high-quality custom fonts, but one of my favourites is 1001Fonts.com for its commercial fonts. It’s user-friendly and allows you to filter fonts by style, theme, and licensing.
To find a font:
- Visit 1001fonts.com.
- Click Free Fonts for Commercial Use to ensure you can use the font safely on your website.
- Pick a font that suits your website. For this tutorial, we’ll go with Young Serif Regular.
Download the font—you’ll receive a ZIP file containing the font’s formats (like OTF or TTF).
Step 2: Attempt and Fail to Upload the Font
Once you’ve downloaded your font, the next step is to upload it to your site. Here’s how you’d typically do this in Divi:
- Open any page in the Divi Builder.
- Add a Text Module and go to Design > Heading Text.
- Under the Font dropdown, click Upload to upload your downloaded font.
Unfortunately, this is where you’ll hit the issue. WordPress may reject your upload with the message: “Sorry, you are not allowed to upload this file type.”
Don’t sweat it—this error occurs because WordPress blocks certain file types for security reasons. Next, we’ll show you how to fix this.
Step 3: Fix the Upload Error Using a Plugin
To bypass the restriction and upload custom font files, you’ll need to edit your site’s configuration. Instead of accessing your website’s hosting platform manually, we can do this more easily using a plugin.
Here’s how it’s done:
- Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
- Search for Bit File Manager and install/activate it.
Once installed, click on Bit File Manager in the sidebar, then select Home to view your site’s files.
Locate the WordPress wp-config.php file:
- Hover over the
wp-config.phpfile and click the pencil icon to edit it. - Scroll to line 72 and paste this code:
define(‘ALLOW_UNFILTERED_UPLOADS’, true);
Save and close the editor.
This small piece of code overrides WordPress’ restrictions, allowing you to upload previously blocked file formats.
Not sure how to do this then watch the full tutorial below ⬇️
Step 4: Upload the Font Again
With the upload block fixed, return to the Divi Builder:
- Open any page and add a Text Module.
- Go to Design > Heading Text and click Upload Fonts again.
- Drag and drop your font files (such as
.otfor.ttf) into the uploader and click Upload.
Congratulations! Your custom font has now been uploaded successfully.
Step 5: Set the Custom Font as Default in Divi
Manually setting a custom font for each paragraph or heading can be tedious. Instead, you can define your new font as a default across your Divi site.
- Go to Appearance > Customize in your WordPress dashboard.
- Navigate to Typography or the section for Header Text.
- Select your uploaded font as the default for headings, body text, or even elements like buttons.
Once saved, all new content will use your custom fonts automatically, streamlining your design process.
Additional Tips
- Mobile Optimisation: While setting your fonts, remember to adjust their sizes for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices for a responsive design.
- Global Header/Body Fonts: You can set your custom fonts globally within Divi’s Theme Customizer to save even more time.
Create a Website that Stands Out
And there you have it! You’ve successfully uploaded and set custom fonts on your Divi website. Small customisations like fonts can dramatically elevate your site’s design and make it more aligned with your brand identity.
If this guide was helpful, share your completed site, or drop a comment below about the font you’re most excited to use! For more tips and advanced tutorials, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Your next beautifully customised website is just a few clicks away!
