Google Fonts provides a rich library of beautiful, open-source typefaces for the web. But relying on Google’s remote servers to load these fonts can introduce a few downsides—such as slower performance and potential privacy concerns, particularly in areas like the European Union where regulations like GDPR apply.
That’s where Blocksy Pro steps in. The Local Google Fonts extension lets you host Google Fonts directly on your own server, giving you greater control over performance and data privacy. With this extension, you can:
- Boost performance – By serving fonts locally, your site reduces external requests, resulting in faster load times and a smoother browsing experience.
- Improve privacy – Hosting fonts yourself removes any reliance on third-party servers, helping you meet privacy expectations and legal requirements.
- Download only what you need – Select just the font weights and styles you use, keeping your server lean and efficient.
- Preload fonts for speed – Preloading ensures your fonts are ready the moment they’re needed, eliminating that momentary “flash” of unstyled text.
Activation
To get started, head to your WordPress Dashboard → Blocksy → Extensions → Pro Extensions and activate Local Google Fonts.
Notice
Once activated and synchronised for the first time, all remote Google Fonts will be removed from the Customiser. This helps prevent confusion between locally hosted and remotely loaded fonts.
Variation Management
After downloading a font, you can fine-tune which variations to keep by clicking the “Select Variations” button. This lets you choose exactly which weights and styles (like regular, italic, or bold) to store locally. Keeping only the fonts you use ensures your server resources are optimized and nothing is wasted.
For even better performance, switch to the Preload tab. Enabling preloading tells the browser to load your fonts early—before the rest of the page content is even rendered. This helps avoid any visual hiccups where fonts briefly appear unstyled, delivering a cleaner and more seamless user experience.
Note
To enable font preloading, you’ll need to select at least one font weight and one character subset. If you’d like to preload the entire font stack, simply select all available weights and all character sets. Alternatively, you can customise your selection by choosing only specific weights with all subsets, or all weights with just a single character set—it’s up to you.