Removing foreign language fonts

Anonymous
2009-10-30T16:13:49+00:00

Does anyone know of a way to remove the many foreign language fonts from Windows 7? There wasn't an option to exclude them during setup. I've tried deleting them, but Windows tells me that they are system fonts which cannot be deleted. I've also tried "Hiding" them, but they still show up in the font list in Office and other programs. All I want and need are the basic English language fonts. Having to wade through dozens of useless (to me) fonts is a major annoyance. There should be a way to exclude them from my system if I don't need them.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Accessibility

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Anonymous
2009-12-05T14:33:12+00:00

Hello mcbarker69,

The reason that I did not know the fonts in question is because no particular fonts were mentioned, and I had gone into fonts and removed a couple foreign fonts with no problem. However that being said, in order to remove the fonts that are being referred to follow these steps:

Take ownership of the file:

 - Click Start Orb > type fonts in the search box > click Fonts

 - Right-click the font > click Properties - Click Security tab > click Advanced - Click Owner > click Edit - Select your Username > click OK

Click OK on the Windows Security box

Change Permissions of the file:

 - Click Permissions > click Change Permissions

 - Select your Username > click Edit

 - Checkmark Allow for Full control

 - Click OK - Click OK

Click Yes on the Windows Security box

 - Click OK

You will need to remember the names of your font(s) that you want to delete.

Delete the file:

Will need to start Safe mode with command prompt

Restart your computer and tap F-8 continually, this will bring you to your Advanced Boot Options, select Safe mode with command prompt.

Once you have booted:

In command prompt navigate to fonts:

 - type cd c:\windows\fonts > press enter

 - type del "font name" > press enter *Do not use the quotes around the font name

This should bring you back to a clean prompt.

Once you are finished > Ctrl+Alt+Del > select restart from the arrow in the bottom right corner of your screen and start Windows normally.

Hope this helps

As the Windows Security box states; this could cause Windows to act differently. Make sure you know which fonts you are removing and that Windows does not need them before you remove any protected system fonts. This could cause many complications with your installation of Windows.

Chris.H

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-01-14T17:12:45+00:00

    Brilliant! Worked like a charm! Thanks for sharing this scheme.

    I solved this problem once before by taking ownership of the font files. But this time, winblows didn't allow me to do that. (I had had to restore factory settings because $*&% Mcafee fell asleep on the job and my puter got virused.)

    I'm sort of wondering how you deduced this process might work. As others have said, MS's documentation of their quirky decisions is inadequate. The key idea (which was a complete surprise to me) is that when you choose "install as shortcut", the actual file in the Fonts folder is *replaced* with a shortcut. The fact that this is allowed to happen seems like another undocumented "feature". :)

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-01-13T21:12:57+00:00

    And here we are in the middle of January 2012 with no resolution to this very frustrating problem. Can we expect something positive to be done in the near future or are we wasting our time here?

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-12-18T02:04:46+00:00

    ....."then I right clicked again and chose "delete" ............... and I got the same old refusal to delete the sodding unwanted font with message "Batang and BatangChe and all-its-useless-cousins cannot be deleted because it is a protected system font".

    Pity... thought it might be an early Xmas present to be able to get rid of unwanted foreign fonts.

    BAH AND HUMBUG THAT THERE IS STILL NO RESOLUTION TO THIS NOW VERY OLD

    BUG BEAR!!!!!!

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  4. Anonymous
    2011-12-17T05:55:22+00:00

    It's not necessary to go through all the steps in the first solution, and the second solution won't work either. Simply hitting the "delete" key does not work with system protected fonts, which foreign language fonts are. That would defeat the purpose of being "system protected'. I went in to the fonts folder, right clicked on one of the foreign language fonts I wanted to delete, and clicked "Show". It took a second to turn black from grey, then I right clicked again and chose "delete".

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