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
    2010-07-11T06:03:37+00:00

    Here is a great workaround solution to the problem that doesn't involve tedious ownership transferring:

    Go to the Fonts directory

    On the left panel select "Font Settings"

    Check "Allow Fonts to be installed using a shortcut (advanced)

    Copy all of the system fonts that you don't want into a different directory

    Select all of the moved fonts and right click

    Select "Install Font as Shortcut"

    Now go back to the Fonts directory

    Delete all of the unnecessary fonts which are now deletable because they are shortcuts!

    Voila!

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-06-02T02:02:53+00:00

    Thanks so much Martin,

    Removed 123 fonts here leaving only Ebrimha and traditional Arabic behind on my Home premium system, although I had ripped a few out manually with HighLogics MainType.

    Regards Elmer

    Hi again,

    it took some time until I got the first feedback from a user testing my batch file. He confirmed what I had noticed when testing the first version of my batch file with an English version of Windows 7 in a virtual machine:

    About half of the font files can be moved without any problems, but the other half of the font files is protected by Windows and you have to take ownership firstandchange the permissions for the administrator group to full rights before you can move them. Fortunately this can be done without clicking through dozens of properties dialog boxes, it can be done by the batch file, too.

    I added the necessary commands to the batch file, you can now download the new version as a zipped file only, called**_2mf-1.0.zip** . I updated the download location and instructions below:

    • First, create a new folder "2manyfonts" on the same drive/partition where your Windows folder is located. In my case, I have C:\Windows, the fonts are in C:\Windows\Fonts, and I created C:\2manyfonts
    • Downloadthe zipped batch file(named _2mf-1.0.zip) and unzipthe contained batch file (named _2mf.bat)into your 2manyfonts folder (you created that folder, right?)
    • Click theStart Orb(aka Start button ;-) ) and typecmd in the search box
    • In the list above right-click oncmd.exeand choose Run as administrator
    • In the command window, type "cd \2manyfonts" without the quotes
    • Type "_2mf.bat X" and replace the X by the letter of your Windows partition, inmy case C, so I would type "_2mf.bat C". Type a space before the drive letter!
    • Press Return/Enter
    • When the batch is finished, which should just take a second, you should have 149 *.ttf files in your 2manyfiles folder.

    Well That's My Two-penneth Worth

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-05-31T19:58:33+00:00

    I ran your batch script and it only moved 74 fonts into the folder: 

    Directory of C:\2manyfonts

    05/31/2010 12:54 PM . 05/31/2010 12:54 PM .. 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 222,356 aparaj.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 215,860 aparajb.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 228,456 aparajbi.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 239,596 aparaji.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 16,264,732 batang.ttc 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 190,700 daunpenh.ttf 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 149,624 dokchamp.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 110,436 estre.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 256,384 gautami.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 221,268 gautamib.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 13,524,972 gulim.ttc 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 610,104 himalaya.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 548,036 iskpota.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 368,924 iskpotab.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 212,356 kalinga.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 205,636 kalingab.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 131,264 kartika.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 126,460 kartikab.ttf 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 330,464 KhmerUI.ttf 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 263,864 KhmerUIb.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 201,680 kokila.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 202,196 kokilab.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 235,940 kokilabi.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 241,672 kokilai.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 97,516 LaoUI.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 88,700 LaoUIb.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 120,848 latha.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 119,848 lathab.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 4,337,296 malgun.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 4,515,044 malgunbd.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 177,388 mangal.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 169,208 mangalb.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 9,533,888 meiryo.ttc 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 9,749,256 meiryob.ttc 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 32,217,124 mingliu.ttc 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 33,805,700 mingliub.ttc 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 356,576 monbaiti.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 9,176,636 msgothic.ttc 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 21,663,376 msjh.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 14,512,072 msjhbd.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 10,057,108 msmincho.ttc 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 21,767,952 msyh.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 14,602,860 msyhbd.ttf 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 342,124 msyi.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 84,940 mvboli.ttf 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 82,864 ntailu.ttf 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 75,552 ntailub.ttf 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 438,016 nyala.ttf 05/31/2010 12:54 PM 0 output.txt 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 146,496 phagspa.ttf 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 150,228 phagspab.ttf 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 118,824 plantc.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 94,300 raavi.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 93,800 raavib.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 340,100 Shonar.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 301,028 Shonarb.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 270,172 shruti.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 235,340 shrutib.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 15,323,200 simsun.ttc 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 15,406,288 simsunb.ttf 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 72,008 taile.ttf 06/10/2009 01:44 PM 63,364 taileb.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 188,908 tunga.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 174,896 tungab.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 216,004 utsaah.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 210,644 utsaahb.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 218,956 utsaahbi.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 239,152 utsaahi.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 386,996 Vani.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 370,576 Vanib.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 171,192 vijaya.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 154,072 vijayab.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 259,520 vrinda.ttf 06/10/2009 01:43 PM 257,672 vrindab.ttf 05/31/2010 12:43 PM 21,812 _2mf.bat 75 File(s) 258,880,420 bytes 2 Dir(s) 898,847,191,040 bytes free

    I reran it and found that one font file is currently in use, which couldn't be moved. I was able to move many of the non-English fonts with Printer's Apprentice , so that may explain why many of them didn't move. It seems I have eradicated most of these unneeded fonts. Hurray! Thank you.

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-04-06T17:50:37+00:00

    A big thanks to support-ing for creating this batch file and incorporating the required ownership and permissions settings to move these fonts.

    I followed your directions and, after setting a system restore point, executed the batch file. It worked very well, although not all of the files got moved (about 9 got left behind on my system). Still this is much better than having 270MB worth of useless fonts loading every time Windows boots, and also clogging up any font lists in apps.

    The only anomalies I have experienced are:

    1. Font icons in the Windows/Fonts folder do not show for most fonts. A generic blue "A" is displayed, instead. However, all fonts still preview properly when opened.

    1. After running the batch file, I noticed that a system font was not displaying. This appeared in both a dialog box for Notepad, as well as a webmail interface in Firefox. However, after restarting the computer, this issue was resolved.

    Again, thank you for taking the time to write, test and make this batch file available for anyone who discovers this page on Microsoft's social answers forum.

    I hope Microsoft will address this issue properly in Win 7 SP1.

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