How do I install new fonts in Windows 7?

Q I have just bought a desktop PC with Windows 7, after years of using a laptop with Windows XP on it. I’ve found it takes some time to get used to the new appearance, and one particular thing I’m not keen on is the new fonts.

I preferred some of the fonts in Windows XP, which I can’t find in Windows 7 so I presume they have been removed. I would prefer to use these and delete the ones I don’t like. How can I do this?

Jim Swingler

A We don’t recommend deleting fonts from the system as you may need them in the future, but you can copy your favourite fonts over from your Windows XP PC to Windows 7 and use them instead. You will need a USB memory key for this.

On your Windows XP PC, click Start, double-click on Control Panel, then double-click on Fonts. Scroll down until you find your favourite font, then click on the file to highlight it. Click the Edit menu, then select Copy.

Browse to your USB memory key in Windows Explorer, then right-click on an empty area of the window and select paste. Put the memory key in your Windows 7 PC then open it in Windows Explorer. Double-click on the font file you copied over from Windows XP.

A preview window will appear, showing the font in different text sizes. Click Install at the top and Windows will copy the font file over to the Fonts folder in Windows 7.

This works fine with Truetype fonts (blue icons), but we found it doesn’t work with composite fonts (red icons).

If you wish to change the fonts Windows 7 uses in the title bars of windows in boxes and so on, click on the Start icon, then type Color in the search box. Note the American spelling. From the list of results choose ‘Change windows colors and metrics’.

The window that appears is identical to the one that allows you to adjust the font appearance in Windows XP and Vista. Select a part of the interface either in the window or from the dropdown box, then choose the font you wish to use from the lower dropdown box labelled Font. You can also adjust its size, and style.

Baffled by jargon? See our free online Jargon Buster.