Font change had always been tricky. Every time a font was installed on any system, it used to be a system-wide change, it always required admin privilege. So any regular user who wants to change fonts on his PC couldn’t do it, and the same applies to a shared school or work PC. However, this has changed and you can now install, and change fonts in Windows 11/10 without the need for administrative privileges.
Install or Change fonts only for yourself in Windows 11/10
Previously, whenever you right-click on any font and tried to install the font, you would be presented with a UAC dialog box. This, when approved by the admin, resulted in a change. We know that you can install Fonts from Microsoft Store, which doesn’t need any admin permission. This feature has been extended for any third party font installation, and you can choose to install the font just for yourself.
Right-click on a font file in File Explorer. You will have two options. First is “Install for all users“, and with admin permission, you can install it for all the users. The second would be a simple Install. It will install the font for that user only.
In scenarios, where the font comes within a compressed folder, there will no context-menu- i.e. right-click options available. However, when you double-click on the font file within the compressed folder it opens in the font previewer. The preview will have an “Install” button.
What is different about this Install button is that there is no security badge here. In the previous version, this was the same as the contextual button and needed admin permission to install it. And yes, that was a system-wide install. Now with the security badge gone, you can install it, and the font will be installed just for your account.
If this sounds new for you, it’s because most Windows PCs are single user machines.
How do I install custom Fonts on Windows 11?
There are mainly two ways to install custom fonts on Windows 11. First, you can open the Windows Settings and go to Personalization > Fonts and drop your font file here. It starts the installation process immediately. Second, you can right-click on the font file and click the Install button. Then, click on the Install button again.
How do I manage Fonts in Windows 11?
Windows 11 comes with an integrated panel in Windows Settings that allows users to manage fonts fluently. You need to open Windows Settings and navigate to Personalization > Fonts. Here you can find all the installed fonts in one place. If you want to uninstall a font, click on it and click the Uninstall button.
This is indeed good news for third-party font developers, especially paid fonts. Now any user will be able to install it just for himself, and will not need any assistance.
