Windows 11 Fonts Settings: Install, Preview and Remove

Windows 11 fonts are easier to manage than they used to be: one page in Settings lists every installed typeface with live previews, and installing a new one takes two clicks. Whether you need a particular font for a school assignment, a brand style guide at work or just a nicer look for invitations, this guide shows how to install fonts safely, where to find them, how to tidy up the ones you do not use, and what to do when an app does not see a font you just installed.

The steps apply to Windows 11 version 24H2 and 25H2 on both Home and Pro.

Where fonts live in Settings

Open Settings (Windows key + I) and go to Personalization > Fonts. The page has:

• Add fonts, a drop area where you can drag font files to install them.
• Get more fonts in Microsoft Store, a link to fonts sold or offered free in the Store.
• Available fonts, the list of everything installed, with a search box and filters by language.
• Related settings, including Download fonts for all languages.

Select any font in the list to see its details: a preview at different sizes and the styles included (regular, bold, italic and so on). This is the quickest way to compare a few candidates before you start a document.

Install a font from a file

Fonts usually arrive as .ttf (TrueType) or .otf (OpenType) files, often packed in a .zip.

1. Download the font from a source you trust.
2. If it is a .zip, right-click it and choose Extract All. Fonts cannot be installed from inside a zip.
3. Right-click the .ttf or .otf file and choose Install (for your account) or Install for all users (for every account on the PC). On recent builds these may be under Show more options.
4. If Windows asks for permission, approve it only if you trust where the file came from.

You can also drag the files onto the Add fonts area in Settings. A font family often comes as several files, one per weight or style; install all of them to get bold and italic properly.

Install fonts from the Microsoft Store

Select Get more fonts in Microsoft Store, choose a font and select Get (free) or Buy. Store fonts install automatically and update through the Store like apps. This is the safest option if you are unsure about websites.

A word on safety and licences

A font file itself is just data, but download sites can bundle installers and adverts. A few rules keep you safe:

• Prefer reputable foundries, well-known free font libraries and the Microsoft Store.
• A real font is a .ttf or .otf file (sometimes .ttc or .woff on the web). Never run an .exe that claims to be a font pack.
• Check the licence before using a font commercially; “free for personal use” often excludes business use.

If a download seems suspicious, scan it with Windows Security before opening it.

Hide or uninstall fonts

Long font lists slow down font menus in apps. You have two choices:

• Hide a font if you might need it again; it stays installed but is out of the way.
• Uninstall it from the font’s details page in Settings when you no longer need it.

Do not remove the fonts Windows itself depends on, such as Segoe UI, or fonts installed by apps like Microsoft Office. If menus suddenly look wrong after a clean-up, reinstalling the removed font or repairing the app that installed it usually fixes it.

Moving fonts to a new PC

Fonts you installed yourself do not move automatically when you set up a new computer. Keep the original .ttf and .otf files in a folder in Documents or OneDrive, together with a note of where each came from and its licence, and install them again on the new PC in a minute. Store fonts can simply be installed again from your Store library. Our guide to transferring files to a new PC covers the rest of the move.

Fonts for other languages

If a document or website shows boxes instead of characters, the right font for that script may be missing. In Fonts settings, under Related settings, select Download fonts for all languages and confirm with OK. Adding a language in Settings also brings its fonts along, as explained in our guide to Windows 11 language settings.

When a font does not show up

Problem	What to try
Font missing in an app	Close and reopen the app; some apps read fonts only at start-up
Still missing	Check it is listed in Settings > Personalization > Fonts
Works in one app, not another	Microsoft notes not all apps support custom fonts; try another app to confirm
Only regular style, no bold	Install every file in the font family, not just one
Font installed for one user only	Reinstall it with Install for all users
Text looks blurry	That is usually scaling, not the font; see display scaling

Change how text looks across Windows

Windows 11 does not offer a setting to replace the system font, and registry tricks that claim to do it can break menus. To make text easier to read, use Settings > Accessibility > Text size instead, or turn on dark mode for better contrast. Other appearance options are covered in the Windows 11 settings hub.