how to change fonts on windows 10

How to change the default font on Windows 10

Microsoft removed the ability to change the default font in Windows 10, but it can still be done if you're willing to jump through a few hoops.

You don't have to stick with the default typeface

By | 22 Apr 2020

It's possible to customise nearly every aspect of Windows 10, but in many cases they add little to the user experience.

One potentially valuable change could be the font, particularly considering you read thousands of words every time you turn on your PC. The 'Segoe UI' default typeface is absolutely fine, but it could use a refresh every once in a while.

While there is a Fonts section in Settings, Microsoft removed the ability to freely change the default font in Windows 10. In this article, we'll break down all the steps you'll have to take.

Be warned: This tutorial involves making changes to the Registry of the PC, so only proceed if you're confident you know what you're doing.

How to change the default font on Windows 10

Open 'Settings' and head to 'Personalisation'
Under the 'Font' tab you'll see a selection of different font families, including Arial, Verdana and Tahoma
Click the one you'd like and keep the window open -
In a separate window open the Notepad app (search in the Start Menu if you can't find it)
Copy and paste the following:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts]
"Segoe UI (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Bold (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Bold Italic (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Italic (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Light (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Semibold (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Symbol (TrueType)"=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]

"Segoe UI"="ENTER-NEW-FONT-NAME"

Click 'File' and then 'Save As'. The file type will be set as .txt, but you'll need to change this to all files.
Choose whichever file name you'd like, but make sure you end it with .reg
Hit 'Save' and then head to the file explorer to locate the .reg file.
Right-click and select 'Merge', before hitting 'Yes' to confirm and then finally 'OK'.
Restart your device and the new font should be applied.

How to restore the default system font

If you'd like to reverse these changes, it probably comes as little surprise that you'll need to tweak the registry.

- Open up Notepad once more and paste the following into the text file:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00  [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts] "Segoe UI (TrueType)"="segoeui.ttf" "Segoe UI Black (TrueType)"="seguibl.ttf" "Segoe UI Black Italic (TrueType)"="seguibli.ttf" "Segoe UI Bold (TrueType)"="segoeuib.ttf" "Segoe UI Bold Italic (TrueType)"="segoeuiz.ttf" "Segoe UI Emoji (TrueType)"="seguiemj.ttf" "Segoe UI Historic (TrueType)"="seguihis.ttf" "Segoe UI Italic (TrueType)"="segoeuii.ttf" "Segoe UI Light (TrueType)"="segoeuil.ttf" "Segoe UI Light Italic (TrueType)"="seguili.ttf" "Segoe UI Semibold (TrueType)"="seguisb.ttf" "Segoe UI Semibold Italic (TrueType)"="seguisbi.ttf" "Segoe UI Semilight (TrueType)"="segoeuisl.ttf" "Segoe UI Semilight Italic (TrueType)"="seguisli.ttf" "Segoe UI Symbol (TrueType)"="seguisym.ttf" "Segoe MDL2 Assets (TrueType)"="segmdl2.ttf" "Segoe Print (TrueType)"="segoepr.ttf" "Segoe Print Bold (TrueType)"="segoeprb.ttf" "Segoe Script (TrueType)"="segoesc.ttf" "Segoe Script Bold (TrueType)"="segoescb.ttf"  [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]  "Segoe UI"=-

- Hit 'File' and then 'Save As'

- Select the 'All Files' file type, naming it anything you want provided it ends with .reg, and then 'Save'.

- Locate the file and right-click before selecting 'Merge'. Confirm by clicking 'Yes' and then 'OK'.

- Restart your device to restore the font back to how it was originally.

Want to install more fonts? Check out our guide to How to install fonts on Windows 10.

Author: Anyron Copeman, Senior Staff Writer

Anyron Copeman

As the resident expert on Windows, Anyron's main focus is PCs and laptops. Much of the rest of his time is split between smartphones, tablets and audio, with a particular focus on Android devices.