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Inkscape fonts are missing

Why Inkscape Fonts Are Missing Even Though You Installed Them

Why Inkscape Fonts Are Missing Even Though You Installed Them 1024 602 Nick Saporito

If you are a Windows 10 user you may run into a problem where Inkscape fonts are missing despite having installed them system-wide. In short, the reason why the Inkscape fonts are missing is because they haven’t been installed for all users. The fix is quite simple.

Before we get started, first make sure that you do indeed have your fonts installed on your system. I made a tutorial for this a while back that you can watch here. Whenever you want to use a font in Inkscape, you have to install it on your operating system first, then Inkscape should catalog it next time you launch it.

Quick Fix: Inkscape Fonts are Missing

If your fonts are populating in other applications but not Inkscape, it’s most likely because the font needs to be installed for all users. This is thanks to a recent Windows update.

Step 1: Restart Inkscape

The reason why your Inkscape fonts are missing could be because you haven’t restarted the Inkscape application since installing them. In order for your newly installed font to populate in Inkscape, you have to close out of the application and reopen it.

Step 2: Install for All Users

Thanks to a tip I received from a student of my Inkscape Master Class, apparently Inkscape won’t recognize a font that’s only installed for one Windows user — it has to be installed for all users. I never had this problem personally because I’ve always been the sole user on my Windows machines.

Instead of opening the font file and clicking the “Install” button, simply right-click the font file and select “Install for all users”. This should do the trick.

One caveat that I’d like to add, thanks to a tip from a Reddit user, is that in order to see the “Install for all users” option, you need to 1.) be using a machine that has more than one Windows user account, and 2.) the font file must be placed locally on your hard drive.

UPDATE September 2019: After a recent Windows update I started having this problem as well. The fonts that I previously installed were all there, but new fonts now have to be installed for “all users,” even though I’m the only user on this machine.

Install for all users

 

If you’re like me, you’ve probably gotten in the habit of installing fonts directly from the zip folder they came in, but in order to install the font for all users, you’ll need to drag and drop the file somewhere else, like your desktop.

Once you’ve installed the font for all users, go ahead and relaunch Inkscape. Your Inkscape fonts should no longer be missing.

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Nick Saporito

Hi, I'm Nick— a Philadelphia-based graphic designer with over 10 years of experience. Each year millions of users learn how to use design software to express their creativity using my tutorials here and on YouTube.

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102 comments
  • Nanci Harvey
    December 10, 2019 at 5:59 PM
    REPLY

    Unfortunately, mine doesn’t say “install for all users.” I’ve tried everything. I actually deleted Inkscape and then reinstalled and still, the new font is missing. I deleted the font, and put it on the desktop, still nothing. Very frustrating!!

    • Beka Kowalik
      December 13, 2019 at 1:11 PM
      REPLY

      I had this same problem. Searched everywhere. I was downloading the font zip file, double clicking the file (which opens a , and then double clicking the font name and hitting install. No where did it ever give the opeion to Install for all Users. Finally, I tried extracting the file from the zip file first. So, double click on the .zip file. Choose extract from the top and choose a location to extract to. Once I did that, right clicking on the file gave me the option to Install for all Users. Then restarted Inkscape, and my font finally showed up.

  • Anonymous
    October 21, 2019 at 11:08 AM
    REPLY

    Oh. My. God. Thank you so much. It finally worked after I dragged it into a desktop folder and clicked on ‘install on all users’. Damn, Windows can be a pain sometimes.

  • Misty
    October 20, 2019 at 3:13 PM
    REPLY

    Thanks. Install for all users worked for me. Oddly, I’ve never noticed this happening before until today, when I needed specific fonts for a project. I installed 5 but only 1 appeared in Inkscape.

  • CJ
    October 15, 2019 at 4:49 AM
    REPLY

    If you have a different app set up as the default font viewer then the “Install font for all users” option may not appear in the context menu. Uninstall your font viewer app. Install the font for all users. Restart Inkscape. At least this is my experience with Windows 10 and Irfanview.

  • Babette
    October 14, 2019 at 6:58 PM
    REPLY

    Oh forgoodnesssakes – “Install For All Users” *AFTER* dragging it onto the Desktop – worked like a champ. Who knew?

    You’ve saved me! Love your advice. Whoopie!

  • Anonymous
    October 12, 2019 at 5:53 PM
    REPLY

    I’ve been watching your You Tube videos alot–thanks for all of them! Now, I always install for all users–but, I’m having difficulty with a font that has an alt version. Recently, the alt option has disappeared–but that’s the only version Inkscape displays. I’ve completely uninstalled and re-installed both versions. Inkscape used to show both versions. Other programs show both versions. It’s weird.

    • Nick Saporito
      October 14, 2019 at 10:59 AM
      REPLY

      Are you sure the alt version isn’t being categorized as the same font with a different style? Select the text object that has that font being used, then open up the text editor (control + shift + t) and see if it’s listed in the styles menu to the right.

      • Anonymous
        October 21, 2019 at 11:52 AM
        REPLY

        Yeah. I looked there, too. Nothing.

        There are alot of weird things happening with Inkscape and my fonts. In many instances the fonts start with normal characters in the text editor, but turn into weird boxes with numbers and letters. Fortunately, when I hit “apply” the fonts seem to come out normal on the main page. Also, I do have several fonts that don’t display correctly in the text editor (they display as a very basic font)–again, these appear to display normal when I hit “apply,” it just makes browsing fonts with my particular words and phrases a little more difficult and I’m pretty sure that’s not how the developers intended it.

        Still loving your videos! You’ve become my favorite person on the web! I need to pick one of your courses and send some money your way for all of the stuff you’ve already taught me!

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