Sometimes, it is good to customize the Windows screen and make it more interesting when using. Another advantage is you would be able to increase user experience while learning new ways to personalize the desktop. With time, Microsoft always featured something new in its updated versions of Windows OS.
When we get into the latest versions, i.e., Windows 10 and 11, there are numerous advanced features. The Windows 10/11 operating system allows us to make changes according to our needs and learn about new additions. Along with all the features, you can also change the font style despite the default style being quite nice.
How to Change the Default System Font on Windows 10/11
In Windows 10 and 11, the procedure is the same to update the font style.
How to Get the Font List
The updated versions of Windows, like 10 and 11, have built-in features that let you personalize your screen; one of them is to change the default font settings.
Before getting started, we should know how many fonts are available in our system. For this, we have two possible ways to list the font options, either to display through the Control Panel or if you don’t like the Control Panel way, you can do it using the Settings app.
Let’s check both ways; you can select any of them.
(Note: the process is the same in Windows 10 and 11; I am running it in Windows 11)
- Get Font List Using Control Panel
Get the control panel screen by searching it on the Windows search bar and clicking its icon:
In the Control Panel, navigate to Appearance and Personalization and select it:
In the next Appearance and Personalization screen, move to the Fonts icon and select it:
Now, you can see various Fonts here; scroll down to get your desired one and note the exact name. Suppose I am changing my default font Setting to Tahoma.
- Get Font List Using Settings App
Another way to show down the font list is using the Settings app; open its screen by clicking on the Start menu and selecting the Settings icon:
In the Settings screen, move to Personalization and then scroll down to get the Font section; when you get it, click on it:
There, in the available fonts section, you will find all the pre-installed fonts in the Windows 11 system:
You can also download more fonts from the Microsoft Store.
Change the Font on Windows 10/11 using Registry Editor
Once you have selected the font name that needs to be changed, you can proceed to the next step. Remember that you cannot update the default system font through the Settings app or Control Panel; Instead, you are required to use a registry editor tool.
Let’s check how we can do it step by step:
Step 1: Open Notepad or any text editor tool; it is better to go with Notepad as it is pretty easy. Search the Notepad using the Windows search bar and select it:
Step 2: Copy the code mentioned below and paste it into the Notepad editor:
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)"="""Segoe UI Symbol (TrueType)"=""[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]"Segoe UI"="font_name"
Don’t forget to replace the “font_name” with the actual font you have saved previously.
Like, I am replacing this with Tahoma, the code would be:
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)"="""Segoe UI Symbol (TrueType)"=""[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]"Segoe UI"="Tahoma"
Step 3: Save the text file with the .reg extension; otherwise, it won’t work:
Make sure you have changed the text document (*.txt) type to All Files; once done, click to save to make changes:
Step 4: Move to the newly created “FontUpdate.reg” file and double-click on it:
Step 5: Usually, it is harmful to save the registry files from the internet before checking them.
A Registry Editor prompt will appear to warn you about this. Don’t worry this file is safe; move to the Yes button and hit it:
A confirmation message will be displayed on the screen; click on OK:
Now, restart your Windows 10/11 to make changes in the system; this will update the default system font.
Restore the Default Font Style in Windows 10/11
It is evident that you won’t change the default font permanently; if you want to get back to the default font style, follow the steps carefully.
Step 1: Open the Notepad editor and copy the following command in it:
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)"=""
"Segoe UI Symbol (TrueType)"=""
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]
"Segoe UI"="font_name"
Don’t forget to replace the “font_name” with the actual font you have saved previously.
Like, I am replacing this with Tahoma, the code would be:
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)"=""
"Segoe UI Symbol (TrueType)"=""
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]
"Segoe UI"="Tahoma"
Step 2: Save the file with the .reg extension and set the type as All types; once done, click on the OK button:
Step 3: Now, navigate to the folder you have saved the .reg file, and double-click on it:
Step 4: A prompt will appear to warn that this .reg file may be harmful to your system. Click on the Yes button as this file is safe, and you can execute it:
A dialogue box will appear to confirm that your keys and values have been added to the Registry; click the OK button:
Now, reboot your system to make changes successfully.
How to Change Windows 10/11 Font Size
Windows 10/11 versions also allowed its users to change the font size if they want through the Settings app directly.
Let’s start quickly without wasting the time:
Step 1: Open the Settings app by clicking on the Start Menu icon and selecting the Settings icon from the pinned section:
Step 2: Once you get the Settings screen in front of you, move to the Accessibility tab and select it:
Step 3: In the Accessibility screen, move to the Text size option displayed at the top and select it:
Step 4: In the Text size preview section, drag the slider left or right to change the text size; you will see the percentage number as well along with dragging:
Step 5: Once you set the font size, hit the Apply button to save changes:
How to Download New Fonts in Windows 11 from Microsoft Store
In Windows 11, you have the option to install other fonts from the Microsoft Store if you don’t like the built-in fonts.
In the Microsoft Store, you will get both free and paid fonts; choose the one according to your requirements.
Open the Settings app and move to Personalization:
Scroll down to the Fonts section and select it:
In the Font screen, click on “Get More Fonts in Microsoft Store”; this will redirect you towards the MS Store:
The Microsoft Store screen will show you a bundle of free and paid font styles; select the one you like most:
Let’s suppose I am selecting Ink Draft style, select it and click on the Get button:
And it will start downloading the Ink Draft font style on Windows 11:
Once the downloading is completed, click on the Open button to get it:
When you click on the Open button, it will get you back to the system app Font screen; there, you will see Ink Draft is added to the font styles:
Conclusion
With the release of Windows updated versions, i.e., 10 and 11, many features have been introduced to personalize the Windows screen and change its look. Many UI elements can be directly changed from the settings app, but if you want to change the Windows font, you need to create a registry file.
Throughout this guideline, we have learned how to change the default font style of Windows 10/11. There is no direct way to do that; first, we need to get the list of built-in font styles in our system. You can get it using the Control Panel or Settings app. Select the font from the displayed list, make the .reg file, and paste the code mentioned in the above guide to change the default font style.