Microsoft Windows supports TrueType fonts and OpenType fonts, as well as some other fonts, such as Windows bit-mapped fonts (FON) and certain PostScript type fonts. These days, you can freely download a large number of professional fonts from the Internet that can help you to design your documents, logos and banners with professional look. However, when you download fonts from the Internet or use them from a fonts CD, you’ll have to first install the fonts in Windows before you can use them in your programs. Installing fonts in Windows is, in fact, quite easy.
This article deals with Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP. Moreover, fonts covered are TrueType fonts (.TTF extension) and OpenType fonts (.TTF or .OTF extensions).
Before you install fonts in Windows, close all other programs.
There are several ways of installing fonts in Windows XP, as explained below:
(A) First method:
Copy the font file (.TTF or .OTF) from the location where it is stored. Now, paste it into the “Windows\Fonts” folder which is typically on drive “C:\”. That’s it!
(B) Second method:
(1) Click on Start, and then click on Run. Now, type the following command in the Run dialog box that appears on the screen, and then click OK:
%windir%\fonts
(2) The Font folder / window will appear on the screen, of the type shown below:
(3) On the File menu of the Font folder / window, click Install New Font. The following Add Font dialog box will appear on the screen:
(4) In the Drives box, select the drive that contains the font that you want to add, depending upon whether the font is on the CD drive or is on the hard disk. Likewise, in the Folders box, select the folder that contains the font that you want to add, and then click on OK.
(5) In the List of fonts box, select the font that you want to add. To select multiple fonts at a time, press and hold the Ctrl key while selecting each font. Now, click to select the “Copy fonts to Fonts folder” check box.
(6) The new font is now saved in the “Windows\Fonts” folder and is installed. Click OK.
(C) Third method:
Click on Start button, then select Settings, and then click on Control Panel. Now double-click on Fonts folder to open it. Rest of the steps are as explained in Step (2) onwards in the Second method described above.
Deleting fonts from Windows is also quite easy. Open the Fonts folder / window as described above. Now, select the font that you want to delete. On the File menu of the Fonts folder / window, click on Delete command. That’s it.
Instead of deleting a font from Windows, you can prevent it from loading. To do this, move the font from the “Windows\Fonts” folder described above to some other folder on the computer. The moved font will not load now. At a later stage, if you want to again use this font, simple move it back to the “Windows\Fonts” folder.
Installing a font in Windows 7 or Windows Vista is equally easy. Use either of the following two methods:
(A) First method:
Locate the font file that you want to install. Right-click on the font file, and then from the popup menu that appears on the screen, select Install. That’s it!
(B) Second method:
Select Start -> Control Panel -> Appearance and Personalization –> Fonts. Now, right-click in the list of fonts, and then select “Install a new font” from the popup menu.
Locate the font that you want to install and then click OK.
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Thanks for details. When yesterday I installed a font from my CD, it started working. But, when I started my laptop today, it did not work. However, when I inserted the CD in the laptop, the font against started working. What is the problem? Why can’t I use the font when the CD is not inserted?