Vista Tutorial - Fonts - Change Default

**Brink** · **OPTION ONE:**

How to Change the Default Vista Fonts

Information

This will show you how to change most of the default system fonts that Vista uses to a font that you want to use.

NOTE

Although OPTION ONE will not change any program fonts, it will change the menu fonts in the programs that came with Vista. EX: Windows Mail, Internet Explorer, etc... I have not found the location to change the default font for the Recycle Bin confirmation dialog box, Run window box, and a few message boxes.

Tip

The Fonts folder is located at:C:\Windows\Fonts

WARNING

To further customize Vista, you will need to use a 3rd party program like Stardock WindowBlinds instead.

RELATED LINKS:

OPTION ONE:
For the Vista Dialog Box Text and Buttons

NOTE

This will show you how to change most of the default system fonts that Vista uses to a font that you want to use. This does not affect 3rd party applications (ex: Microsoft Office, Adobe, etc.) configuration that were not part of Vista.

STEP ONE:
For the Vista Dialog Box Text and Buttons

1. Open the Start Menu.

2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.

3. Click on the Continue button in the UAC prompt.

4. In regedit, go to: (See screenshots below step 5)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes

5. In the right pane, right click on MS Shell Dlg and click on Modify.
NOTE: The default fonts are the ones displayed below.

6. Type in the name of the font you want to use and click on OK. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: You can get the name of the font from the Font Folder Location C:\Windows\Fonts. Be sure that you use the exact same font name and that it is spelled correctly.

7. In the right pane, right click on MS Shell Dlg 2 and click on Modify.

8. Type in the name of the font you want to use and click on OK. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: You can get the name of the font from the Font Folder Location C:\Windows\Fonts. Be sure that you use the exact same font name and that it is spelled correctly.

8. Close regedit.

9. Logoff and logon or restart the computer to apply the changes.

STEP TWO:
In Advanced Appearance Settings

NOTE

The default font used here is Segoe UI.

1. Open the Advanced Appearance settings window.

2. Click on the Item: you want to change the Font for. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: These are the Items that have fonts that can be changed. Repeat this for each item you want to change the font for. The font settings that are grayed out are not available with the selected color scheme.
Active Title Bar

Icon

Inactive Title Bar

Menu

Message Box

Palette Title

Selected Items

ToolTip

3. To Change the Item Font -
A) Click on the Font: drop down menu and select a font. (See screenshot below)

4. 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.

5. To Change the Item Font Color -
A) Click on the Color: drop down menu and select a color.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. Click on OK.

9. Click on OK to apply changes.

OPTION TWO:
To Have Segoe UI as the Default Font

NOTE

This was provided from Fix Windows Vista’s Fonts! ~ Chris Pirillo . See that link for more details about this.

WARNING

Chris's fix changes the default system font and the mapping font of the OS & the APPLICATIONS = full visual effect, but with some caveats. Wait, don't panic! Here is an explaination of the changes with an example:

Office 2003 Word default template uses New Times Roman pt12, you will get Segoe UI instead (it's easy to make a new default template with your styles anyway.)

Acrobat Reader 8, 9 you will be able to read your .pdf but they will not print, unless

To print them as a picture (bad...)
The font used in the PDF is not a font the .reg file substitutes for Segoe UI (i.e. Arial, New Times Roman, Thaoma, etc.) (Unlikely with 99.9% of the documents)

1. To Make Segoe UI the Default Font -
A) Click on the download button below to download the
VistaFontFix.reg file.

B) Go to step 3.

2. To Undo this and Restore the Default Fonts -
A) Click on the download button below to download the
UndoVistaFontFix.reg file.

3. Click on Save, and save the .reg file to the Desktop.

4. Right click on the .reg file (on Desktop) and click on Merge.

5. Click on the Run button in the Security Warning pop-up.

6. Click on Continue (UAC), Yes, and then OK when prompted.

7. Logoff and logon or restart the computer to apply the changes.

8. When done, you can delete the .reg file (on Desktop).

That's it,
Shawn

Verwolk · 11-23-2007

Many thanks, Brink, for the useful information!
I'm sorry, it seems everything is not so simple. I'm running Vista Ultimate x86 with Classic Theme, so AERO and Desktop windows manager are disabled. One thing is annoying me, here is the screen:

I've applied registry hint you has described, rebooting, but the problem still here. I've checked registry again, and everything is OK. Both parameters MS Shell Dlg and MS Shell Dlg2 are Tahoma.
Maybe you're can help?
Thanks in advance
VW

**Brink** · 11-23-2007

Hi Verwolk,

Welcome to the Forum.

Most, but not everything is affected by this change. The Run window happens to be one of them. Sorry. Did you do all of step two also to change everything else?

Shawn

Verwolk · 11-23-2007

Yes, everywhere are Tahoma.

Thank you for the quick responce: )

**Brink** · 11-23-2007

You're welcome Verwolk,

I'm still digging around the registry for other areas that affect the fonts. If I find the buggers, I'll update this tutorial to include it. Just keep checking back for updates. I'll send you a PM to if I find the one for Run.

Shawn

Mastermike · 04-06-2008

Hi,
Another newbie is there a quick way to set font defaults in works, or will the method described serve to change and lock all font settins on all the programs.

Thanks,

Les.

**Brink** · 04-06-2008

Hi Les,

Welcome to Vista Forums.

I do not know if it will work in Works or not. All programs are different. Some use the same default as Vista, and some use their own settings. You can give it a shot to see. If it does not, then you can change them back to the default fonts if you wanted to.

Sorry,

Shawn

Mastermike · 04-06-2008

Hello Shawn,

Thanks for that reply I will have try later I know it's not desperate but it is one of those silly things that buggs me there has to be a simple answer but not for a Silver Surfer like
me.

Rgards

Les.

**Brink** · 04-06-2008

I know how you feel about those little things. Let us know how it went for you.

Shawn

Bennal · 05-16-2008

I'm having the same problem as Verwolke, well i imagine its the same problem, i can't view his image completely, its only thumbnail size.

My lovely Tahoma font has been applied using your methods in the advanced appearance settings, and the registry tweaks. Credit is due there, well done for sussing that out, i can't stand cleartype in vista, so i turned it off and was left with nasty looking segoe UI everywhere.

The only places so far that don't seem to adopt the new font, are in prompt boxes and some message boxes, such as run, and the recycle bin delete confirmation box. Its driving me up the wall, i've scoured the registry for the culprit, and can't find it anywhere. Has anyone found a fix for this yet?

I've upped a screenshot of my issue, here:
link removed - no longer worked

The wordpad is open to show SegoeUI, compared with the message box, just to make sure its displaying that, when it should really be tahoma.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Ben