This step-by-step article describes how to add and remove fonts in Windows XP. The following fonts are included with Windows XP and are installed on every computer:
- Courier New (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)
- Arial (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)
- Times New Roman (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)
- Symbol (TrueType)
- Wingdings (TrueType)
- MS Serif
- MS Sans Serif
If any of the standard fonts that are included with Windows XP are missing, you can run Windows XP Setup again. Setup replaces missing or changed files. If these standard fonts are missing, other Windows XP files may also be missing, and Setup corrects these problems.
Adding New Fonts
Windows supports TrueType fonts or fonts that are specially designed for Windows, and these fonts are available commercially. Some programs also include special fonts that are installed as part of the program installation. Additionally, printers frequently come with TrueType or special Windows fonts. Follow the directions that come with these products to install these fonts.
To manually install or re-install a font:
- Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
- Double-click the Fonts folder.
- On the File menu, click Install New Font.
- In the Drives box, click the drive that has the floppy or CD-ROM that contains the fonts you want to add. If you are installing fonts from a floppy disk, this is typically drive A or drive B. If you are installing the fonts from a compact disc, your CD-ROM drive is typically drive D.
- Double-click the folder that contains the fonts.
- Click the font you want to add. To select more than one font at a time, press and hold down the Ctrl key while you click each font.
- Click to select the Copy Fonts To Fonts Folder check box. The Windows\Fonts folder is where the fonts that are included with Windows XP are stored.
- Click OK.
Removing Fonts
To completely remove fonts from the hard disk:
- Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
- Double-click the Fonts folder.
- Click the font you want to remove. To select more than one font at a time, press and hold down the Ctrl key while you click each font.
- On the File menu, click Delete.
- When you receive the "Are you sure you want to delete these fonts?" prompt, click Yes.
To prevent a font from loading without removing it from the hard disk, move the font from the Fonts folder into another folder. Use this method for troubleshooting purposes. This process does not completely remove the font, because font registry information is not deleted. However, it prevents the font from loading.
