This will show you how to change most or all of the default fonts in Windows 7 for Active Title Bar, Icon, Inactive Title Bar, Menu, Message Box, Palette Title, Selected Items, ToolTip, and various Dialog Box text and buttons.
Changing a Windows 7 font doesn't change your program fonts.
This will let you change the default font, font size, and font color for the Active Title Bar, Icon, Inactive Title Bar, Menu, Message Box, Palette Title, Selected Items, and ToolTip text. See this link under step 8 there for the default Advanced Appearance settings: Window Color and Appearance - Change
B) In the left blue pane, click on the Change color scheme link. (see screenshot below)
C) Click on the Advanced button. (see screenshot below)
D) Go to step 3.
2. If you have Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise
A) Right click on a empty space on the desktop and click on Personalize. (see screenshot below)
B) Click on the Window Color link at the bottom of the window. (See screenshot below)
C) Click on the Advanced appearance settings link. (See screenshot below)
Warning
If you have selected a Basic and High Contrast Themes, then you will not see the screenshot. Instead, you will see the screenshot below step 4.
If you have selected a Aero Themes, then you will see the screenshot. Continue to step 4.
3. Select a Item that you want to change the font for. (see screenshots below) NOTE:Not all of these items will have a font for them.
4. To Change the Item Font
A) Click on the Font drop down menu and select a font. (see screenshot below)
5. To Change the Item Font Size
A) Click on the Size drop down menu and select a number for the size. The higher the number, the larger the size. (see screenshot above)
6. To Change the Item Font Color
A) Click on the Color drop down menu and select a color. (see screenshot below step 4)
7. To Have the Item Font in Bold
A) Click the B button to highlight it. If it is not highlighted, then the font will not be in bold. (see screenshot below step 4)
8. To Have the Item Font in Italic
A) Click on the I button to highlight it. If it is not highlighted, then the font will not be in italic. (see screenshot below step 4)
9. Repeat steps 3 to 8 until you have changed all of the fonts for the select items that you wanted.
10. When done, click on OK. (see screenshots below step 3)
11. Close the Window Color and Appearance window. (see screenshot below step 2B) NOTE: You will not have this to do if you have a Basic and High Contrast Themes selected.
OPTION TWO
To Change or Restore Default Dialog Box Text and Buttons Fonts
NOTE:This will let you change the default fonts for most of the Windows 7 dialog box text and button text through the registry.
1.To Change the Dialog Box Text and Buttons Fonts
A) Open the Start Menu, type regedit in the search box, and press Enter.
D) In the right pane, right click on MS Shell Dlg and click on Modify. (See screenshot above)
E) Type in the name of the font you want to use and click on OK. (See left screenshot below) NOTE:You can get the name of the font from the Font Folder LocationC:\Windows\Fonts. Right click on the single font and click on Properties to see the file name. For a font group, you will need to open it first to see the single fonts in it. Be sure that you use the exact same font name that is listed. Do not include the Regular part or file extension in the font name. For example, I would type Impact instead of Impact Regular or Impact.ttf.
F) In the right pane, right click on MS Shell Dlg 2 and click on Modify. (See screenshot below step 1C)
G) Type in the name of the font you want to use and click on OK. (See left screenshot below) NOTE:You can get the name of the font from the Font Folder LocationC:\Windows\Fonts. Be sure that you use the exact same font name that is listed. Do not include the Regular part in the font name. For example, I would type Impact instead of Impact Regular.
H) Close regedit.
I) Go to step 3.
2.To Restore Default Dialog Box Text and Buttons Fonts
A) Click on the Download button below, and download the file below.
Restore_Default_Dialog_Box_Fonts.reg
B) Save the .reg file to the desktop.
C) Right click the downloaded .reg file, and click on Merge.
D) Click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK when prompted.
E) Continue on to step 3.
3. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply the font changes.
OPTION THREE
To Change All Default Fonts
NOTE:This will let you change the default fonts used by Windows 7 using the registry.
1. To Change Default Fonts Using a REG File Download NOTE:This changes the default fonts in Windows 7 to the Tahoma font. You could use this REG file download to make doing step 2 below easier by editing the REG file for the font you want to use instead of Tahoma.
A) Click on the Download button below, and download the file below.
Set_Tahoma_Default_Font.reg
B) Save the .reg file to the desktop.
C) Right click the downloaded .reg file, and click on Merge.
D) Click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK when prompted.
E) Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply changes.
F) When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
2. To Manually Change Default Fonts by Creating a REG File NOTE: The REG file in step 1 is the same as in step 2B below. You can use it and just edit the font that you would like to use instead of Tahoma in step below.
C) In Notepad, edit Tahoma in quotes with the name of the font that you would like to use in instead with it still in quotes. (see screenshot below) NOTE:You can get the name of the font from the Font Folder LocationC:\Windows\Fonts. Be sure that you use the exact same font name that is listed. Do not include the Regular part in the font name. For example, I would type Impact instead of Impact Regular.
D) In Notepad, click on File (Menu bar) and Save As. (see screenshot below)
E) Type in a name you would like with a .reg file extension (ex: Impact-Fonts.reg), then click on the Save button. (see screenshot below)
D) Right click the created .reg file and, click on Merge.
E) Click on Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK when prompted.
F) Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply changes.
3. To Restore the Default Fonts NOTE:This will ONLY undo all changes that you made using either step 1 or step 2 in OPTION THREE above, and restore the original default fonts used by Windows 7.
A) Click on the Download button below, and download the file below.
Default_Fonts.reg
B) Save the .reg file to the desktop.
C) Right click the downloaded .reg file, and click on Merge.
D) Click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK when prompted.
E) Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply changes.
F) When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
Hi, I have adjusted some fonts in the Adavanced Apperance settings, and also the Registry for Gabriola font. But still I have some text on teh Desktop that is the default text. I would like to change it all to the same Gabriola text if possible. Any other places I need to adjust to make it so?
Thanks!
Also would just like to say, this site is great. SO much info.
System Manufacturer/Model Number mypc4me OS Windows 7 CPU i5 750 Motherboard Asus p7p55D Evo Memory 4TB GSkill Graphics Card Ati 5850 Sound Card Audigy SE Monitor(s) Displays 24" Acer Screen Resolution 1900x1200
Keyboard keys Mouse tailess PSU Corsair 750 Case CM Cooling fans Hard Drives SSD & Hybrid SSD Internet Speed MB Other Info Sausages
I've taken a screenshot of my desktop, which shows the fonts that still seem to be default.
Example is, holding mouse over taksbar shows default text. But when I right click on Windows explorer, I have the Gabriola text.
Also Computer, Network and Recycle Bin are default fonts.
Edit: I just got the Computer, Network and Recycle Bin to Gabriola. I went through the list in Advanced Apprerance settings, (these were under Icon) which I hadn't noticed before Thanks.
Edit 2: I have all but one changed to Gabriola font, mouse over taskbar 'tooltip' still shows default text.
I can live with it, if it is a pain to find.
Once again, thanks. Very much appreciate the info, and the help.
System Manufacturer/Model Number mypc4me OS Windows 7 CPU i5 750 Motherboard Asus p7p55D Evo Memory 4TB GSkill Graphics Card Ati 5850 Sound Card Audigy SE Monitor(s) Displays 24" Acer Screen Resolution 1900x1200
Keyboard keys Mouse tailess PSU Corsair 750 Case CM Cooling fans Hard Drives SSD & Hybrid SSD Internet Speed MB Other Info Sausages
System Manufacturer/Model Number Custom OS Windows 7 Professional x64 CPU AMD Phenom™ II X4 Motherboard Biostar TA790GXE 128M Memory 4GB Corsair Dominator Series DDR2 1066 (8500) Graphics Card 2GB MSi Radeon HD 6950 PE/OC Monitor(s) Displays 24" Samsung T240 Monitor 1920x1600 Screen Resolution 1920x1200
Keyboard Basic Dell Mouse Logitech MX518 PSU OCZ 700W Modular Case Antec Nine Hundred Hard Drives 250GB Western Digital SATA Internet Speed Cable
I too am struggling with this, option 1 works but as with Vista some fonts seem uneditable, some dialogue boxes refuse to change (delete for example), the advanced font selection list itself! (which has to be some sick joke), gadgets, RSS sidebar feeds, fonts in Outlook, insisting on the ugly Segeo / Calibri which looks dreadful with ClearType disabled.
Option 2 above, I just don't have the registry keys here on my Windows 7 RC install. At the moment Windows 7 seems worse than Vista in not allowing you to change all the fonts, so I have the clean lines to Tahoma and Trebuchet MS but with sprinklings of the ugly Segoe.
I'm not sure which registry entries you are missing, but here are the default entries inside the FontSubstitutes key. You can download the ZIP file, extract the .reg file, then double click on the .reg file to merge it to add them.
Information
Changing a Windows 7 font doesn't change your program fonts.
OPTION ONE 
Note
Warning
Thanks.
