Summary: Windows is highly customizable. The fonts that it uses are one of the items that you're actually given a fair amount of control over.
Can I change the font that is used on the screen? For example can I make it Verdana, Trebuchet MS, Georgia, or any other I could name? It probably has to be a True Type Font. What is the name of the font that is normally used with Windows XP Professional? Thank you for any suggestions you may have.
•
This is one of those areas where I typically recommend people not go playing. Not because it's dangerous, but because it is an area that Microsoft has done a lot of research into determining and developing a look, including font, that seems to be the most effective for the most people.
But of course, what if you're not "most people"?
Then there's a lot you can fiddle with.
•
I do need to point out that if all you're trying to do is make text bigger, there's a different, simpler approach outlined in How can I make the text on my screen larger?
To start, know that font used "on the screen" is actually several separate settings. The text in a menu might be different than the text in a window caption and those might be different than the text in the content area of a window. If you want to change them all and have a consistent look, there's a bit of work ahead.
Right click on your desktop and click on Properties and you should get something similar to this:
Click on the Appearance tab to get this:
And finally click on the Advanced button for this:
To get to this same dialog in Windows Vista:
-
Right click on the desktop
-
Click on Personalize
-
Click on Window Color and Appearance
-
Click on the Advanced button
If you now click on the drop down list labeled Item: you'll see a list of items that should be similar to this:
These are the items whose appearance you can control. If you click on one of those, then the nearby controls labeled Size, Color and most notably Font, among others, will enable if that setting can be adjusted. For an item where the fonts can be selected, you'll see that the Font drop down list is most likely chock-full of fonts for you to chose from.
Be careful! You can certainly select a font that, if accepted, could render all your text unreadable. Take a little time, experiment a little, and see what works best for you.
In most cases, what works best is, of course, doing nothing.
Related:
-
Ask Leo! - How can I make the text on my screen larger?
-
Ask Leo! - HTML font size: why can't I increase it on some web pages?
Article C3344 - April 8, 2008
A few tips: the main font that Windows Explorer uses for filenames is whatever you've selected under "Icon", and the font that dialogue boxes (such as the window you're using to select the different fonts) use is what you select under "Message box".
Also, if you're just trying to make fonts bigger, try changing the DPI (in Settings tab -> Advanced).
Regarding font choice, for a refreshing but still professional look to XP, get hold of Segoe UI from somewhere, and replace Tahoma with it everywhere it appears (Segoe UI is the font that Vista uses instead of Tahoma; it's more rounded, more humanist).
And make sure Cleartype is turned on! (In Appearance tab -> Effects ->font smoothing) If Cleartype is too thin and spindly for you by default, that's fixable: Google "Cleartype Font Tuner".
Posted by: Simon at April 8, 2008 9:24 PMTo get Segoe UI installed on XP, all you have to do is install Windows Live Mail.
Change your system font to Segoe UI and you have that lovely Vista look, without the hassle :D
Posted by: Damon Littlewood at April 8, 2008 11:45 PMThis did not help me because in "Advanced Apperance" I click in "Active Window" the "text area" and am not able to get a font menu. Do you have any ideas of what I can do?
Posted by: lee at February 27, 2009 11:55 PM