Windows Platform Guide

Fontist provides comprehensive Windows platform support, allowing installation and management of fonts on Windows 7 and later.

Windows Font Management

Windows font management differs from Unix systems in several key ways:

Difference	Description
Path separator	Uses backslash (\) instead of forward slash (/)
Font locations	Registry-based and directory-based locations
File locking	Stricter file locking during operations
Permissions	Case-insensitive but case-preserving filesystem

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Windows Font Locations

Fontist supports three installation locations on Windows:

System Fonts

Property	Value
Location	C:\Windows\Fonts
Requires Admin	Yes
Available To	All users

User Fonts

Property	Value
Location	%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Fonts
Requires Admin	No
Available To	Current user only
Windows Version	Windows 10+

Fontist Library

Property	Value
Location	%USERPROFILE%\.fontist\fonts
Requires Admin	No
Available To	Current user only
Default	Yes

Fontist creates a fontist subdirectory within user and system font directories to avoid cluttering the main font directory.

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Installation Examples

Install to Fontist Library (Default)

# No administrator privileges required
fontist install "Roboto"

Install to User Fonts Directory

# No administrator privileges required (Windows 10+)
fontist install "Roboto" --location=user

Install to System Fonts Directory

# Run as Administrator
fontist install "Roboto" --location=system

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Windows Features on Demand (FOD) Fonts

Windows includes supplementary fonts that aren't pre-installed but can be enabled through Features on Demand (FOD). These include fonts for Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Pan-European, and other scripts.

What Are FOD Fonts?

Windows FOD fonts are installed using Add-WindowsCapability, which downloads font packages from Windows Update. Fontist automates this process — when a formula specifies source: windows_fod, Fontist calls the appropriate PowerShell command to install the capability.

Installing FOD Fonts

# Install a specific supplemental font
fontist install "Meiryo"

# Install Pan-European supplemental fonts
fontist install "Arial Nova"

Fontist checks whether the capability is already installed. If not, it runs:

Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name 'Language.Fonts.Jpan~~~und-JPAN~0.0.1.0'

Requirements

Requirement	Details
Windows version	Windows 10 or later
Internet connection	Required (fonts download from Windows Update)
Administrator	Required on Windows 10 for system-wide installation
WSUS/SCCM	Must not block Features on Demand

Available FOD Fonts

Fontist includes metadata for all Windows FOD font capabilities. Some common ones:

Capability	Fonts Included
Japanese Supplemental Fonts	Meiryo, MS Gothic, MS Mincho
Korean Supplemental Fonts	Batang, Dotum, Gulim
Arabic Script Supplemental Fonts	Sakkal Majalla, Simplified Arabic
Pan-European Supplemental Fonts	Arial Nova, Georgia Pro, Gill Sans Nova
Traditional Chinese Supplemental Fonts	MingLiU, DFKai-SB

FOD Font Installation Flow

1. Fontist looks up the font in the formula index
2. Checks if the Windows FOD capability is already installed via Get-WindowsCapability
3. If not installed, runs Add-WindowsCapability to download and install it
4. Returns paths to the installed font files in C:\Windows\Fonts

Troubleshooting FOD Installation

If you see a WindowsFodInstallError:

1. No internet connection — FOD fonts require Windows Update access
2. Insufficient permissions — Run as Administrator on Windows 10
3. WSUS/SCCM policy — Your organization may block FOD downloads; contact your IT administrator
4. Capability not found — The capability name may differ on your Windows version; run Get-WindowsCapability -Online -Name 'Language.Fonts.*' to list available capabilities

Platform Restriction

Windows FOD fonts are only installable on Windows. Fontist will raise a PlatformMismatchError if you attempt to install them on macOS or Linux.

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Windows-Specific Considerations

File Locking

Windows uses stricter file locking than Unix systems. Fontist handles this with automatic retry logic when encountering locked files during cleanup operations.

If you encounter file locking issues:

1. Close applications that might be using the font
2. Retry the operation
3. Use Task Manager to identify processes locking the file

Path Handling

Fontist automatically handles Windows path separators and drive letters. Font paths are returned in Windows-native format:

C:\Users\user\.fontist\fonts\font.ttf

Registry Integration

While Windows historically used registry-based font registration, modern Windows (10+) supports directory-based fonts. Fontist uses directory-based installation for maximum compatibility and ease of management.

Administrator Privileges

Operation	Admin Required
Install to fontist location	No
Install to user location	No
Install to system location	Yes
Uninstall from system fonts	Yes

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Platform Compatibility

Windows Version	Support Status	Notes
Windows 11	✅ Fully Supported	All features available
Windows 10	✅ Fully Supported	User font directory available
Windows 8/8.1	✅ Supported	System and fontist locations only
Windows 7	⚠️ Limited Support	System and fontist locations only

Windows 7 Support

Extended support for Windows 7 ended January 14, 2020. Fontist is tested on Windows 10 and later. Earlier versions may work but are not actively tested.

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Ruby Installation on Windows

Prerequisites

1. RubyInstaller with DevKit - Required for native gem extensions
2. MSYS2 - Required for building native extensions
3. Git for Windows - Required for fontist update and fontist repo commands

Installation Steps

1. Download RubyInstaller (select "Ruby+Devkit" version)

2. Run the installer and check "Add Ruby executables to your PATH"

3. After installation, run MSYS2 setup:

   ridk install

   Select option 3 (MSYS2 and MINGW development toolchain) when prompted.

4. Install Git for Windows

5. Install Fontist:

   gem install fontist

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Troubleshooting

Native Extension Errors

If you see errors about failed compilations:

# Ensure MSYS2 is properly installed
ridk install

# Reinstall the gem with verbose output
gem install fontist --verbose

Permission Errors

If you get permission errors:

# Option 1: Install to user directory
fontist install "Roboto" --location=user

# Option 2: Run as Administrator for system fonts
# Right-click PowerShell → "Run as administrator"
fontist install "Roboto" --location=system

Path Too Long Errors

Windows has a 260 character path limit by default. If you encounter path issues:

1. Enable long paths in Windows (requires admin):

   # Run as Administrator
   New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem" `
     -Name "LongPathsEnabled" -Value 1 -PropertyType DWORD -Force

2. Or use a shorter installation path via environment variable:

   $env:FONTIST_PATH = "C:\f"
   fontist install "Roboto"

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Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Example
FONTIST_PATH	Base directory for Fontist data	C:\fontist
FONTIST_INSTALL_LOCATION	Default install location	user
FONTIST_USER_FONTS_PATH	Custom user fonts path	C:\Users\me\Fonts
FONTIST_SYSTEM_FONTS_PATH	Custom system fonts path	C:\Windows\Fonts

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See Also

• Installation Guide - General installation instructions
• Install Command - CLI reference for install
• How Fontist Works - Architecture overview