How to Change Fonts in Windows 11

Windows 11 has no Settings option that changes the font used across the whole system. You can install new fonts in Settings > Personalization > Fonts, make text bigger with Accessibility > Text size, sharpen text with ClearType, or change the font inside each app. A registry workaround can swap the Segoe UI font in older parts of Windows, and this guide covers it with a backup and an undo file.

These steps are for Windows 11 Home and Pro with current updates. Fonts settings, Text size and ClearType work the same way in Windows 10.

Which Option Fits What You Want?

What you want	Best option
Use a new font in Word, Photoshop or other apps	Install the font
Bigger text in menus and apps	Accessibility > Text size
Bigger everything, including icons	System > Display > Scale
Clearer or less blurry text	ClearType Text Tuner
A different font in one app	That app’s font settings
A different font in Windows menus	Registry workaround (unsupported)

How to Install a New Font in Windows 11

1. Download the font file (.ttf or .otf) from a source you trust. If it comes in a .zip file, right-click it and select Extract All.
2. Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
3. Select Personalization, then Fonts. You can also type ms-settings:fonts in the Run box (Windows key + R).
4. Drag the font file onto the Drag and drop to install box, or select Browse and install fonts and pick the file. You can drop several files at once.

The font appears under Available fonts, where you can search for it and preview its styles. Apps that were already open may need a restart before the font shows up in their font list.

You can also right-click a font file in File Explorer and choose Install, or Install for all users on a shared PC. Installing for all users needs administrator permission, so select Yes at the prompt only if you trust the file. To get free fonts from Microsoft, select Get more fonts in Microsoft Store on the same page, then Get. For every method in more detail, read about installing fonts on Windows 11.

To remove a font, select it under Available fonts, then use the three-dot Options menu and choose Uninstall. Some fonts that Windows needs are protected and can’t be removed. Microsoft’s font management page covers the same options, plus Download fonts for all languages under Related settings if characters in another language show up as boxes.

A new font is only on your PC, so embed the font in Word or PowerPoint files you send to other people.

How to Make Text Bigger Without Changing the Font

If the default font is hard to read, change the text size instead. It’s safer than a registry edit and applies across Windows.

1. Open Settings, or press Windows key + U to go straight to Accessibility.
2. Select Accessibility, then Text size.
3. Drag the Text size slider until the preview is comfortable.

4. Select Apply.

Microsoft’s Make text and apps bigger page notes that Text size changes title bars, menus and icon text. To enlarge everything, including pictures and apps, go to Settings > System > Display and pick a larger percentage under Scale & layout > Scale. Some apps don’t update until you sign out and back in. There are more ways to increase text size in Windows 11 as well.

How to Make Fonts Sharper With ClearType

If text looks blurry or thin, you may not need a new font at all. The ClearType Text Tuner adjusts how Windows smooths text for your screen. Microsoft explains the technology on its ClearType overview.

1. Select Start, type Adjust ClearType text, and press Enter.
2. Check Turn on ClearType, then select Next.
3. If you have more than one monitor, choose whether to tune all of them, then select Next.
4. On each screen, select the text sample that looks clearest to you, then select Next.

5. Select Finish.

Change the Font Inside an App

Most apps keep their own font settings, and this is the supported way to read or write in a different typeface.

• Notepad: select the Settings gear, open Font, and choose a family, style and size. If long lines run off the edge, turn on word wrap in Notepad.
• Microsoft Edge: open Settings and more (three dots) > Settings > Appearance > Fonts to set the font size and customize the fonts websites use when they don’t set their own (details in Increase default text size in Microsoft Edge).
• Chrome: the same idea lives under Settings > Appearance, where you can use a bigger default font size in Chrome.
• Word and Excel: each has its own default font setting, covered in the FAQ below.

Understand System Font Limits and Keep a Recovery Copy

Installing a font makes it available to apps, but it doesn’t change Windows menus. Modern Windows 11 screens use Segoe UI Variable, according to Microsoft’s Windows typography documentation, and the registry workaround below only affects older screens and dialogs that use classic Segoe UI. Volunteer moderators on Microsoft Q&A also note that the registry change no longer works reliably and leaves much of Windows unchanged. If you just want easier-to-read text, the Text size and ClearType steps above are the safer choice.

Before you edit the registry, create a restore point in Windows 11 and back up the two font keys. Search Start for regedit and open Registry Editor, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts, choose File > Export, and save the file. Do the same for the FontSubstitutes key. Microsoft’s registry backup and restore guide explains Export and Import. If text or symbols look wrong after the change, import your backups or use the restore point.

New to the registry? Here are other ways to open Registry Editor in Windows 11.

How to Change the Windows 11 System Font (Registry Method)

This workaround swaps classic Segoe UI for another installed font. It doesn’t change every Windows 11 screen or app, and it isn’t a Microsoft-supported setting. You need an administrator account. Back up the registry first (see above), pick a plain text font that includes the characters you use, and check with IT before trying it on a work PC.

1. In Settings > Personalization > Fonts, find the font you want and note its exact family name, such as Verdana.

2. Open Notepad.
3. Paste the text below, and replace NEW-FONT with your font’s name.
4. Select File > Save as, set Save as type to All files, and save it as change-font.reg.

5. Double-click the .reg file, select Yes in the User Account Control prompt, then select Yes and OK in the Registry Editor messages.
6. Restart your PC.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[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)"=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]
"Segoe UI"="NEW-FONT"

After the restart, older dialogs, some menus and title text use the new font, while Start, Settings and other modern screens keep Segoe UI Variable. If older dialogs don’t change or show an unexpected font, check the name’s spelling against the Fonts page, fix the file, and run it again.

How to Restore the Default Windows 11 Font

The easiest way back is to import the Fonts and FontSubstitutes backups you saved: in Registry Editor, choose File > Import, select each file, and restart. If you don’t have backups, save the text below as a .reg file and run it the same way. It restores the standard Segoe UI entries and removes the substitution.

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"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]
"Segoe UI"=-

If Windows won’t start normally after a font change, use the restore point you created, or boot into Safe Mode and run the restore file.

If a Font Doesn’t Show Up or Look Right

• The font isn’t in an app’s list. Close and reopen the app. Check that you installed the .ttf or .otf file itself, not the .zip, and search for it under Available fonts.
• Existing text didn’t change. Installing a font never changes text you already wrote. Select the text and pick the font in the app.
• A website still uses its own font. Many sites set their own fonts, which override browser defaults.
• Install for all users is grayed out or asks for a password. You need an administrator account on that PC.

Frequently Asked Questions