Fonts - Show and Hide

How to Show and Hide Fonts in Windows 7 and Windows 8​

   Information

This will show you how to Show and Hide fonts automatically by Windows 7, Windows 8, and manually by you to be available to select the font or not in your programs input language settings. You will also see how to restore the default Show and Hide settings.

For a list of all default fonts that come supplied with Windows 7, see: Windows 7 font list

For a list of all default fonts that come supplied with Windows 8, see: Windows 8 font list

For a list of all default fonts that come supplied with Windows 8, see: Windows 8.1 font list

   Note

Fonts that are set to Hide are faded, and fonts that are set to Show are not faded.

OPTION ONE

Turn Automatic Show and Hide Fonts by Windows On or Off

NOTE: Windows can hide fonts that won't work with your input language settings in your programs. This may not apply to all of your programs though. You will still be able to manually show and hide fonts in OPTION TWO below.
1. Open the Control Panel (icons view) in Windows 7 or Windows 8.

2. Click/tap on the Fonts icon.

3. Click/tap on the Font settings link in the left pane. (See screenshot below)

4. To Turn On Automatic Show and Hide Fonts
A) Check the Hide fonts based on language settings box. (See screenshot below step 6)
NOTE: This is the default setting in Windows 7.

B) Go to step 6.
5. To Turn Off Automatic Show and Hide Fonts
A) Uncheck the Hide fonts based on language settings box. (See screenshot below step 6)
NOTE: This will have all the fonts set as Show except for the fonts that you manually set to Hide afterwards in OPTION TWO below.
6. Click/tap on OK. (See screenshot below)

OPTION TWO

To Manually Set Fonts to Show and Hide

NOTE: This will allow you to manually set fonts to show or hide to be available to select the font or not in your programs input language settings.
1. Open the Control Panel (icons view) in Windows 7 or Windows 8.

2. Click/tap on the Fonts icon.

3. To Set a Font to Show
A) Select a individual font or font family that you want to set to Show. (See screenshots below)
TIP: To select more than one font at a time, press and hold down the Ctrl key while you click on each font.
NOTE: A individual font only has a single page on it's icon. A font family has more than one page stacked on it's icon. It means that it has more individual fonts included in that font family. If you wanted to only set a individual font to Show in the font family, then you will need to click on the font family to see the individual fonts inside the font family first.




B) Click on the Show button on the toolbar. (See screenshots above)
NOTE: You can also right click on the font and click on Show. If you do this on a font family, then you will set of all the individual fonts in that font family to Show instead. If you have both the Show and Hide option available, then that means that the individual fonts in the font family have some fonts set to Hide and Show and not just one or the other.
4. To Set a Font to Hide
A) Select a individual font or font family that you want to set to Hide. (See screenshots below)
TIP: To select more than one font at a time, press and hold down the Ctrl key while you click on each font.
NOTE: A individual font only has a single page on it's icon. A font family has more than one page stacked on it's icon. It means that it has more individual fonts included in that font family. If you wanted to only set a individual font to Hide in the font family, then you will need to click on the font family to see the individual fonts inside the font family first.




B) Click on the Hide button on the toolbar. (See screenshots above)
NOTE: You can also right click on the font and click on Hide. If you do this on a font family, then you will set of all the individual fonts in that font family to Hide instead. If you have both the Show and Hide option available, then that means that the individual fonts in the font family have some fonts set to Hide and Show and not just one or the other.
5. Close the Fonts window when done. (See screenshot below step 3A or 4A)

OPTION THREE

To Restore the Default Show and Hide Settings

NOTE: This will show you how to restore all of the fonts back to their default Show and Hide settings. This will also turn on OPTION ONE above.
1. Open the Control Panel (icons view) in Windows 7 or Windows 8.

2. Click/tap on the Fonts icon.

3. Click/tap on the Font settings link in the left pane. (See screenshot below)

4. Click/tap on the Restore default font settings button. (See screenshot below)

5. Close the Font settings window. (See screenshot above)
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to See a Preview of the Fonts in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Delete Fonts in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Install a Font in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Change the Default Fonts in Windows 7
• How to Create a Font Settings Shortcut in Windows 7 and Windows 8

 

[NormCameron]

Great tutorial Shawn, as usual

Norm

 

[Brink]

Thank you Norm.

 

[mansrm81]

Keep up the good work Shawn, you should have all the tutorials done before 7 is released.

 

[Brink]

LOL, I wished Mansrm81.

 

[quochunguit]

Oh I have problem when hiding some font in windows 7, it were showed the following error:

Fonts are currently used by another program

Although I’ve closed all programs, What should I do?

 

[Brink]

Hello Trương Quốc Hùng,

It could also be a font currently in use by Windows, or reserved by another program (even if not open) has that font set to be used in it. Double check each program that uses the fonts from Windows to see if they have the font selected that you want to hide.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[quochunguit]

Thanks a lot Brink, why our forum does not have Thanks button.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Trương Quốc Hùng.

 

[oliviad]

show and hide problem

Hi Brink - I read you posting and have a different issue. My view of the fonts does not show individual font families. as you can see from the image.
how can i get my folder to show me the actual fonts so that i may remove them and stop clogging up my system?
thanks
olivia

 

[Brink]

Hello Olivia,

The ones that look like they have multiple pages stacked on each other (ex: Terminal in your screenshot) is a font family. If you click on one of them, it will open to show the different fonts for that font family.

Hope this helps,
Shawn