Windows 8 Default Font Download – Repair Kit

A long time ago I’ve offered you a simple solution on how to restore your default fonts in Windows 7. The basic idea is that you can get in real problems if your default system fonts get messed up. For example, when you install too many fonts or even worst, when you allow other software to replace your fonts. In this cases, your explorer, your browser, your games and basically everything on your computer can show strange characters and bad font style.

To repair this error I recommend to restore all your fonts:

1. Go to C:\Windows\Fonts (where C:\ is my Windows drive) and delete as much fonts as you can. (ctrl+a to select all and delete key to delete … skipped where the system couldn’t remove the files)

2. Download the default Font folder  (.zip file, 250MB) :

Download “Windows 8 Default Font Folder” uc – Downloaded 32412 times –

3. Extract the content of that folder.

4. Select all the files in the extracted folder (ctrl+a)

5. Right click and select Install

Enjoy! If you search the default fonts for Windows 7, click here.

L.E.: If you search the default fonts for Windows 10, click here.

66 comments

  1. For some reason all of my default fonts are gone, so this is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Thank you so so much!

    1. I am investigating that now … come back to you soon.

      [Later Edit] Sorry, there was a missed link. Now it should work fine. Thank you for noticing me that!

  2. This would be more helpful with pictures, because I can’t read any of the folder/option text due to the whole fonts being missing thing

    1. Hi Jess, thank you for your tip. I am thinking now that maybe is better to create you a script (batch file) for this. I will come back to you during this weekend with this.

      Until that, just browse to C:\Windows\Fonts and hit ctrl+a then delete. From the zip file, just hit ctrl+c to copy and ctrl+v to paste.

      Hope you can manage it until my reply. Thanks!

  3. Hello, sorry for this question. The arrow at my laptop was missing. I can’t click any apps. For now, I just use the left, right, up, down and enter button. I cant turned off the laptop in the right way. Please help me. Thank you.

    1. Hello again … I guess I have something better for you …

      http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-tms/windows-8-mouse-pointer-disappeared/0814da98-0e28-4a3c-b0a1-8125440eacab

      short tips:
      – “if one of the function keys on the laptop has a ‘switch the mouse pointer on or off’ feature. On my particular laptop (Toshiba Satellite L855) the F5 key does this. Press this (or press FN+F5 depending on you configuration), and hey presto… the cursor returns.”
      – FN + F9 for Asus.

  4. Hi,
    I’m using a Windows 8.1 OS..
    For some reason my default fonts are getting deleted every time i restart my system..

    after restart all the text will look symbolic..
    not readable.. i check my font folder everything deleted.. only 2 fonts will be remaining..

    Please help me fix this..

    TIA

    1. Hi Afsal,

      Have you fixed you problem? I seem to be having the same problem.

  5. Thanks for this, it’s saved an awful lot of time getting hold of another 8.1 installation. Don’t know what happened but I rebooted and found that my fonts folder had been deleted apart from 3 basic fonts.

  6. Hi …..
    recently I installed a large font package on my system . it contained 2500 fonts .
    and very soon I realized that its slowing the system .
    so I went to Font Library of windows and deleted over 100 of my fonts .
    I was getting errors during that deletion . but I ignore them since I had no Idea that my windows default font was among the deleted ones .
    And now every 20 or 30 minutes …. A blue window comes up saying that system is trying recover some missing files and will be restarted after the process is 100% .
    problem is it never restarts .
    I just have to turn it of mannualy …
    Do you have any solution for me ? Or I just HAve to Reinstall my windows ?
    Thank you .

  7. Thank you so so much.
    I accidentally deleted most of my system fonts and programs like Adobe Illustrator CC 2014 kept crashing because of missing fonts.

    Thank you ;)

    1. yes, it also works for windows 8.1.
      Remember that you need to install 7Zip software in order to be able to run that automatically script.

      Have fun!

  8. hey, i have following those steps, but my another programs like office, notepad++, and also my game, still haven’t work correctly because missing the font, may u help me?

    1. Not sure … you might also change the Windows Color and fonts. Right click on your desktop, personalize and choose a basic/default windows theme to reset any changes you might have done.

  9. EXCELLENT LINK.THANK YOU SO MUCH.
    THIS WAS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE I COULD FIND THE CORRECT METHOD.

  10. Hi Bogdan.

    I’ve been having the same problems with Afsal. I finally got to install the fonts from the original link that you posted but when I restart/shutdown my computer. Everything goes back to gibberish or may I say signs and symbols. I’ve tried setting them to read only files but still the same problem. I know the problem is half fixed but I don’t want to have to keep installing the fonts every time I restart my computer.

    Thanks very much

  11. Thanks _very_ much for this. I was getting the empty box “missing glyph” for default bullets in MS Word 2013, and it was driving me _nuts_! This fixed it handily.

  12. Hello,
    Thank you for this it’s very helpful but I have an extra problem.
    Every time I restart my computer the fonts disappear again and I have to install them all over again; Is there a solution for this?

  13. I am installing Need for Speed game to windows 8 (single language).
    In the installation process fonts are like ????????? and i didn’t understand.
    What is the solution of it to see all types of fonts which support my PC Laptop.
    Thanks

  14. thank you 4 your efort
    pls i need help in something the arabic font used in windows 8.1 is fantastic and better than the arabic font in windows 7 could you help me to apply the windows 8.1 araboc font in windows 7 ??

  15. I just wanted to detail my experience with the Repair Kit here, just in case someone else finds it useful.

    Even if you use font management software, like Font Explorer, you still have to be VERY careful. In trying to get rid of those pesky Adobe fonts, I mistakenly deleted my important system fonts. Font Explorer packed them up in a file on my desktop, but I still could not reinstall them. I suspect because of some hidden fonts that were deleted also.

    The touch icons in Windows 8.1 would not display at all (search, power, email and some others).

    I downloaded the folder here and followed the instructions. Before you delete all the files in your system font folder, first copy them into a file on your desktop, or course.

    Then when deleting them from your system folder, some of files will not delete. This is fine because when you copy the Restore font files over it will replace them.

    Rebooted the computer and now all of them show.

    Thanks for this!!!!

  16. Hi Bogdan,
    I get a Font Avenir next from a friend, since then I have the same Problem alltypes are not readable. Unfortunately I cannot delete my Fonts in the Fonds Folder.
    I tried a few times but they are all still there.
    So I cannot continue following your checklist.

    Can you please help me.

    Thanks alot
    Mohamed

  17. Hi,

    Thanks for the tutorial. Not sure if you are still checking this page, but I thought I’d try. I’m having the issue where my fonts look like squares and other shapes.
    Anyway, I followed your instructions and reinstalled all the Windows 8 fonts. However, the start menu remained unchanged (still weird symbols). And, whenever I restart my computer, I’m back where I started. All fonts gone. Any ideas?
    Thanks

  18. Hi there! I’m a graphic designer and just updated to windows 10 and installing my work fonts i messed up my default system fonts. Can you do the same library fonts for windows 10? Thank you a lot in advance…

  19. Hi, i did what you said, but websites in 2 browsers are still using a font that is not the right one (not the same as i always saw)… what should i do?… by the way, thanks for your help…

    1. websites can have their own fonts … they might also use different ways to integrated those fonts and some browser can have problems dealing with specific HTML code. Update your browser to the last version and let me know if you didn’t solved the problem.