Are you tired of using the same old fonts on your Windows 10 computer? Why get stuck when there are several ways you can install fonts on Windows 10? Having new fonts to use can be exciting as they can bring new life to your work.
In this article, learn how to install and manage fonts on Windows 10, and you’ll never again have to settle using the default system fonts. Let get started!
Prerequisites
If you’d like to follow the steps in this tutorial, make sure that you meet these requirements.
- A Windows 10 PC. This tutorial will be using Windows 10 version 20H2.
- If you want to install fonts for all users on the computer, your user account must have administrative rights on the Windows 10 PC.
Installing Fonts in Windows 10
When you need to install fonts in Windows 10, there are several ways you can do so. Each method is different, but the result is the same. You’ll have new fonts that you can use with various applications, such as word processors and text editors, to name a few.
Let’s explore the different ways you can install fonts in Windows 10.
Note: That the succeeding font installation methods install new fonts in the %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Fonts directory of the current user only by default. If you want to install fonts for all users on the computer, skip to the Using the Font Viewer (All Users) section.
From the Microsoft Store
Microsoft gives its Windows 10 users the ability to install apps directly from the Microsoft Store. But did you know that aside from apps, the Microsoft Store also lets you install fonts on Windows 10?
Best of all, you’ll be browsing available fonts like an online shopping catalog. And installing them is convenient with only a few clicks. To install fonts on Windows 10 using the Microsoft Store, follow the steps below.
- Before you can install fonts, you first need to open the Microsoft Store. To do so, click Start → Microsoft Store.
2. Once the Microsoft Store window is up, type fonts in the Search box and press Enter to search.
After the search, on the results, click the Explore new fonts button. Clicking the Explore new fonts button will bring you to the fonts gallery.
3. Next, you’ll see the list of available fonts that you can install on your Windows 10 computer. Look for the font you want to install and click it. This example will select the Ink Draft font, which is free.
4. After selecting the font, you’ll arrive at the font’s dedicated information page. On this page, you’ll find the details about the font. To continue installing the font, click the Get button.
The installation process may take several seconds to complete. In this example, the installation took only 30 seconds.
5. After Microsoft Store completed the installation, you will see a message saying This product is installed. To exit Microsoft Store, click the X button in the upper-right corner. Or, if you want to install more fonts, you can repeat the same steps.
Using the Windows Settings App
The internet offers seemingly unlimited resources that you can download, including fonts. If you’ve found a font that you like and downloaded it onto your computer, what next?
Another way to install fonts on Windows 10 is by dragging and dropping a font file into the Font setting app. How convenient is that? Follow the steps below to install a font in Windows 10.
If you don’t have a sample font for testing, you may download the Pattaya font first, which this example will use.
1. First, open the Fonts settings on your computer. To do so, right-click on any blank space on your Desktop and click Personalize.
2. On the Settings window, click the Fonts tab under the Personalization section.
Under the Add fonts section, you should see a rectangular area that says Drag and drop to install. This area is you can drop one or more font files from your computer to install.
3. Now, open the File Explorer and navigate to the directory where you have downloaded the font. Once you’ve located the font file, click to hold the file, drag it to the Fonts settings window, and drop it to the Drag and drop to install area. Doing so will install the font on the Windows 10 computer.
You can also drag and drop multiple font files at the same time.
After installing the font, you can find the new font immediately under the Available fonts list.
Using the Control Panel
The more traditional method to install fonts in Windows 10 is through the Control Panel. Like the Windows Settings app, you’ll need to drag and drop one or more files from a location on the computer to the Control Panel to install fonts.
Follow the steps below to install fonts in Windows 10 using the Control Panel.
1. Open File Explorer and locate the directory where you have downloaded the font files. Keep the File Explorer window open.
2. Next, open the Control Panel window. To do so, click the Start → Windows System → Control Panel.
3. On the Control Panel window, click the search box on the top right and type in fonts to search for the Fonts Control Panel item. On the search results, click the Fonts Control Panel item to open the Fonts window.
4. Now you have both File Explorer and the Fonts Control Panel opened. On the File Explorer window, click or select the font files you want to install.
After selecting the font files, click to hold the files, drag them to the Fonts Control Panel window, and release the mouse button to drop the files. Dropping the files will automatically install the fonts on your computer.
After installing the fonts, you can now see them in the Fonts Control Panel window.
Using the Windows Font Viewer
In Windows, font files open with Windows Font Viewer by default. The Windows Font Viewer is a built-in Windows program for viewing and installing fonts (%WINDIR%\System32\fontview.exe).
To view and install fonts in Windows 10 using the Windows Font Viewer, follow the steps below.
- Open the File Explorer and browse to the font file’s location.
- Once you’ve located the font file, double click the font file to open it in the Windows Font Viewer window.
- On the Windows Font Viewer, you’ll see the font details and its preview. To install the font, click the Install button at the top of the window. The font installation should complete quickly, and there will be no confirmation messages.
Using the Windows Font Viewer (All Users)
Up to this point, you’ve only been installing new fonts in the user context, which puts new fonts in the %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Fonts folder by default. Meaning, in shared computers, each user must install the font in their user profiles.
Using the Windows Font Viewer, you can install fonts for all users on a computer. But your user account must have administrator rights on the computer.
Installing fonts for all users will install the font file to the %WINDIR%\Fonts folder.
To install fonts for all users, open the File Explorer and browse the font file’s location. Next, right-click on the font file and click Install for all users.
During the font installation, you’ll only briefly see the progress indicator similar to the image below.
Uninstalling Fonts in Windows 10
There may be times when you need to uninstall fonts from your computer. Such as when you no longer need the font or if you plan to install an updated version of the font. Whatever the reason, know the there are ways to uninstall fonts in Windows 10 you can perform.
Note: When uninstalling a system-wide font (all users), your user account must have administrator rights on the local computer.
Using the Windows Settings App
One way to uninstall fonts in Windows 10 is from the Windows Settings App. To do so, proceed as follows.
1. First, open the Fonts Windows Settings. To do so, right-click the Start button and click on Run to open the run dialog box. On the Run dialog, type the command ms-settings:fonts in the Open box and press Enter or click OK.
2. Next, under the Available fonts list, type the font’s name you want to uninstall in the search box. On the search results, click the font name to open its properties.
3. Once you’re in the font’s properties window, click on the Uninstall button. Clicking on this button will uninstall the font from the computer.
Using the Control Panel
Another method to uninstall a font in Windows 10 is through the Control Panel.
1. To open Fonts Control Panel, right-click the Start button and click Run. In the Open box, type in control fonts and press Enter or click OK.
2. You should now be in the Fonts list in Control Panel. To uninstall a font, click to select the font and click the Delete button. You can also select multiple fonts by holding down the CTRL key while clicking on each font.
3. At the confirmation window that pops up, click Yes to confirm to delete the font.
Conclusion
This article showed you how not to get stuck with the same set of system fonts, which can be boring over time. You learned the different ways to install fonts in Windows 10 and how to uninstall them, too. Which method did you like best?
Do you know other ways of installing fonts in Windows 10 that weren’t in this tutorial? Let us know!
