Removing foreign language fonts

Anonymous

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.

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Anonymous

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

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133 additional answers

Anonymous

2010-10-06T10:49:27+00:00

IMPORTANT!! If you use this script to move the non-English fonts, and you're using a64-bit version of Windows, you must also remove the fonts' entries from the Windows Registry. For details, see:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1076-fonts-delete.html
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Anonymous

2010-10-03T23:41:03+00:00

O.T. - I like your name! LOL My dad's name was Almer, and kids called him Elmer Fudd, and then called me Art Fudd... hence the user name I later adopted. :)

Art [artfudd] Folden

I'm a PC and Windows 7 sucks less!

): !tol a skcus llits liaMLW tub..

"Elmer B. Fuddled" wrote in message news:*** Email address is removed for privacy ***...

I feel for you bro. I really do.

Running the script that support-ing came up with takes mere seconds though and does the job admirably. I have modified mine slightly (I'm UK English) because as he points out, he is using a German based PC. So a couple of changes for me were all that were required. I then just drop a "too many fonts" folder containing the .bat file into my C:\ root, right click it, select "open elevated command prompt here", in the command prompt window type "2mf.bat c" click "y", spin round three times on my chair (that's just a fun bit, not essential, by the way!!) and all foreign fonts have been moved to the "too many fonts" folder in my C:\ root. I even added all the "Adobe" extra unusables to it now.

Now I can live with that if (a) SP1 when it shows its face re-installs them all. (b) When I do an sfcscannow they get re-installed/(and they do!) .

Why "customers" should have to jump through hoops to get something to work "their way" is, in Anglo-Saxon***** , f@@k@n stupid though

One slight caveat I discovered, a "foreign" font called Meiryo (typo?) . If you install Office 2010 pro trial (I'm assuming all others), it complains if this one is missing, so I threw it back into the fonts folder for the install then ran the 2mf.bat script again to remove it (and others that re-appeared) . Strange that Office made by ummm Microsoft falls in to the category of "third party apps. may not recognise that fonts are hidden" on a system made by ummmm, Aah! Microsoft. Do I get the feeling of left hand not knowing etc. etc.??

***** Don't look, it's not a supported language!!

And the reason I originally started this post that turned into a minor rant is... MainType is an excellent font manager for Windows *AnniM.* Well worth the spondolicks.

Well, That's My Two-penneth Worth
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Anonymous

2010-10-03T05:26:46+00:00

I feel for you bro. I really do.

Running the script that support-ing came up with takes mere seconds though and does the job admirably. I have modified mine slightly (I'm UK English) because as he points out, he is using a German based PC. So a couple of changes for me were all that were required. I then just drop a "too many fonts" folder containing the .bat file into my C:\ root, right click it, select "open elevated command prompt here", in the command prompt window type "2mf.bat c" click "y", spin round three times on my chair (that's just a fun bit, not essential, by the way!!) and all foreign fonts have been moved to the "too many fonts" folder in my C:\ root. I even added all the "Adobe" extra unusables to it now.

Now I can live with that if (a) SP1 when it shows its face re-installs them all. (b) When I do an sfc /scannow they get re-installed*(and they do!)* .

Why "customers" should have to jump through hoops to get something to work "their way" is, in Anglo-Saxon******* , f@@k@n stupid though

One slight caveat I discovered, a "foreign" font called Meiryo (typo?) . If you install Office 2010 pro trial (I'm assuming all others), it complains if this one is missing, so I threw it back into the fonts folder for the install then ran the 2mf.bat script again to remove it (and others that re-appeared) . Strange that Office made by ummm Microsoft falls in to the category of "third party apps. may not recognise that fonts are hidden" on a system made by ummmm, Aah! Microsoft. Do I get the feeling of left hand not knowing etc. etc.??

*** Don't look, it's not a supported language!!

And the reason I originally started this post that turned into a minor rant is... MainType is an excellent font manager for Windows AnniM. Well worth the spondolicks.

Well, That's My Two-penneth Worth
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Anonymous

2010-09-26T06:24:44+00:00

What is the latest direction from Microsoft on this problem. One of my concerns, apart from the fact that I have absolutely no need for many fonts, is the total lack of a clear explanation of font management as per Windows7. For example, I have a number of fonts which I wish to add (they have to be there to be displayed in other applications, right!). Are these fonts flagged to distinguish them from "system" fonts? Also, I note that in the menu bar on the font display page there is an option to "Delete" a font. Can both "system" and "user installed" fonts be deleted? If you do delete a "system" font and sometime later need to get it back again, how do you do it?
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