Helvetica Neue at a glance
| Category | Sans Serif |
|---|---|
| Designer | Linotype (1983) |
| Styles on iOS | 11 (Regular, Bold, Bold Italic, Condensed Black, Condensed Bold, Italic, Light, Light Italic, Medium, Ultra Light, Ultra Light Italic) |
| First on iPhone | iOS 3.0 |
| First on iPad | iOS 4.3 |
| Family name | Helvetica Neue |
| Default PostScript name | HelveticaNeue |
PostScript names for every Helvetica Neue style
iOS looks fonts up by their PostScript name, not the friendly family name. Use the names below exactly as written — they are case-sensitive.
| Style | PostScript name | iPhone | iPad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | HelveticaNeue | 3.0 | 4.3 |
| Bold | HelveticaNeue-Bold | 3.0 | 4.3 |
| Bold Italic | HelveticaNeue-BoldItalic | 3.0 | 4.3 |
| Condensed Black | HelveticaNeue-CondensedBlack | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Condensed Bold | HelveticaNeue-CondensedBold | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Italic | HelveticaNeue-Italic | 3.0 | 4.3 |
| Light | HelveticaNeue-Light | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Light Italic | HelveticaNeue-LightItalic | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Medium | HelveticaNeue-Medium | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Ultra Light | HelveticaNeue-UltraLight | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Ultra Light Italic | HelveticaNeue-UltraLightItalic | 5.0 | 5.0 |
How to use Helvetica Neue in code
SwiftUI
Text("Hello, world")
.font(.custom("HelveticaNeue", size: 17, relativeTo: .body))UIKit
let base = UIFont(name: "HelveticaNeue", size: 17)!
label.font = UIFontMetrics(forTextStyle: .body).scaledFont(for: base)
label.adjustsFontForContentSizeCategory = trueObjective-C
label.font = [UIFont fontWithName:@"HelveticaNeue" size:17];CSS for Safari on iPhone and iPad
.headline {
font-family: "Helvetica Neue", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif;
font-weight: 700;
}Wrapping the font in UIFontMetrics, or passing relativeTo: in SwiftUI, lets Helvetica Neue grow and shrink with the user’s Dynamic Type setting. Read the custom fonts guide for the full checklist, or the San Francisco guide if you want Apple’s system font instead.
Frequently asked questions
What is the PostScript name of Helvetica Neue on iOS?
Use “HelveticaNeue” with UIFont(name:size:) or SwiftUI’s Font.custom(_:size:). The bold style is “HelveticaNeue-Bold”. The family has 11 styles: Regular, Bold, Bold Italic, Condensed Black, Condensed Bold, Italic, Light, Light Italic, Medium, Ultra Light, Ultra Light Italic.
Which iOS version added Helvetica Neue?
According to the iOS Fonts availability data, Helvetica Neue first shipped on iPhone in iOS 3.0 and on iPad in iOS 4.3.
Can I use Helvetica Neue on a website?
Safari on iPhone and iPad can render installed system fonts, so a CSS stack such as font-family: "Helvetica Neue", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; will use Helvetica Neue on Apple devices and fall back elsewhere. Embedding the font files on a server requires a separate web licence from the foundry.