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
    2011-03-31T13:40:31+00:00

    Now that is a really simple and user friendly solution. Thanks MS.

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-04-02T20:16:53+00:00

    This info may be useful and I hope you see this reply because it may help to understand why the installed fonts take up so much space on your hd and memory.

    http://www.microsoft.com/typography/WhatIsOpenType.mspx

    What is OpenType?

    OpenType is a font format developed jointly by Microsoft and Adobe as an extension of Apple's TrueType font format. The OpenType 1.0 font specification was released in 1997. Since that time Adobe and Microsoft have continued to work together updating and refining the specification. Several other companies, including Apple and Monotype, have also contributed to the specification over the years. Currently, every major font foundry and most minor ones are developing fonts in OpenType format.

    OpenType provides several advantages over older font technologies:

    • Larger glyph limit (64k)
    • Cross-platform support (Win and Mac)
    • Support for both PostScript Type 1 or TrueType outlines
    • Support for advanced typographic features

    OpenType, like TrueType, is based on Unicode, the system for encoding all of the world's writing systems. OpenType fonts can potentially contain many thousands of characters. This means that an OpenType font may contain multiple alphabets (such as Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic; or kanji, kana, and romaji for Japanese use). OpenType fonts can also include typographic refinements such as true small caps, different styles of figures, and extensive sets of ligatures and alternates, as well as complete sets of accented characters and diacritical marks. Different applications have differing levels of support for all the OpenType features.

    OpenType version 1.4 was contributed to ISO and became the foundation for the development of ISO/IEC 14496-22 "Open Font Format" standard. The standard was published in 2007, and is now freely available for download from ITTF website. OpenType version 1.6 is identical to the “Final Draft International Standard” version of ISO/IEC 14496-22 FDIS “Open Font Format” (second edition).

    To learn more about OpenType fonts, refer to the most recent version of the OpenType specification and our FAQ page.

    Last updated 7 July 2009.

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-04-20T13:35:22+00:00

    I suppose what I find frustrating about this is that they appear at the top of the screen. Forget all about having to delete them... if they are going to be forced on users against their will, why not have them start with zzz instead of @? THAT is what I find really frustrating.

    What would be REALLY nice with fonts is if the Font window offered a place to uncheck the font from displaying in software. In my normal usage I only use a handful of fonts, yet I have to wade through scores of 'regular' (e.g., not foreign language) fonts. Blackadder, for example. I don't necessarily need or want to delete it, but life would be easier in Excel, Word, Publisher, etc., if the fonts I use all the time were the only ones I saw.

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  4. Anonymous
    2011-04-23T14:04:50+00:00

    In addition to removing the unwanted fonts in the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts, for non MS apps, the fonts can be removed by booting up with a Ubuntu Live disk and then using the file manager there to remove the fonts files in C:\Windows\Fonts.

    MS obviously don't want you to do this but it does work. 

    BEFORE you do this: (1) make a copy of the files in the Fonts folder just in case you delete something you later need; (2) make a restore point.

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