Using custom fonts without administrator rights?

windows permissions fonts administrator

205,838

Solution 1

Adding and removing system fonts is an Administrator task, and will be denied to users who don't have the admin permissions (Power User is actually probably enough), as they could really mess up Windows by deleting or replacing standard system fonts. :)

You could give the users write access to their \Windows\Fonts folder, and that will let them install fonts.

Solution 2

Using custom fonts without administrator privileges is possible with the PortableApps.com platform (introduced in version 10.0).

To use custom fonts:

Download and extract the PortableApps.com platform
Copy the font files to the <PortableApps>\PortableApps\PortableApps.com\Data\Fonts directory. Create this folder if it does not already exist.
Close and restart the PortableApps.com platform.

The fonts should now be usable in other applications while the PortableApps.com platform is running.

Solution 3

From Windows 10 17704 onward you'll have the ability to install fonts without admin rights

Font installation for non-admin users

Have you ever wanted to use your own fonts from your account on a shared school or work PC, but couldn’t because you didn’t have the administrator privileges required to install the fonts? Well, we’ve heard your frustration about this and have made some changes.

In the past, fonts in Windows have always been installed for all users. Because that is a system-wide change, it always required admin privilege. The need for an admin was reflected in the user interface. For example, if you browse in File Explorer to a folder containing a font file and right-clicked on the file to bring up the context menu, then the “Install” option would appear with the security badge, which means that it requires an admin.

Solution 4

There is a workaround I've used on XP; I can't say if it works on other Windows versions.

If you double click on any font file, wherever it's saved, you'll get a preview window. Until you close this window, the font will be available for use in other apps, although a few may need restarting.

I believe this works because the preview automatically and temporarily installs the font in order to render it, and this temporary installation doesn't involve adding the font to the Fonts folder, therefore doesn't require admin rights.

Edit: Just tested copying a font file's shortcut into the Fonts folder, and that seems to work for me as well, but I'm sure I've tried it without success previously.

Solution 5

NexusFont is a freeware font manager which can be used to manage installed fonts (with admin priviliges), or make certain fonts available at runtime (without admin privs). For this latter feature just run NexusFont and add font group(s) you like. The font files can reside in any folder. As long as NF is running, applications can use the fonts. NF can be used portably.

On windows 7 there are some quirks which take a bit of experimenting to get the hang of. The biggest one being that if you install using symbolic links don't disable by deleting the files as it deletes the files and not just the symlinks. In this case disable (uninstall) the fonts but use the "leave the files where they are" option.

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205,838

Fire Lancer

Updated on September 17, 2022

Comments

Fire Lancer almost 2 years

I know you can put custom fonts in say C:\Windows\Fonts and applications will be able to find and use them. However this is only possible when you have administrator access to the machine, which is rarely the case in shared environments.

Is there a general way to use custom fonts from some other location suitable for non-admin users? If not, is there any manner specific for Adobe Fireworks (CS3) and Office 2007?

I'm interested mainly in XP and Vista, but a solution that works for other Windows versions would be great.
- Paul almost 3 years
  
  There's more to custom fonts than meets the eye - for instance, you need to identify whether the font is licensed before the user installs it. This little gem could land your organisation in all sorts of problems, especially if the user distributes, say, a Microsoft Word document in which the font is embedded. Fonts are a minefield.
- Paul almost 3 years
  
  Wow! I didn't realise this question was soooo old!
Fire Lancer over 14 years

Well I don't need (or want really) for them to be "system fonts" that effect the entire computer or replace anything already there, just there so they can be used in my word documents, images I'm working on in fireworks, etc.
Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 over 14 years

I don't think you can use any fonts (especially in Word) that arn't registered with Windows' font subsystem, regardless of where they're located.
dsolimano over 14 years

There are programmatic ways to add fonts for the current user's session (see blogs.msdn.com/michkap/archive/2006/06/25/646701.aspx) so that's probably what the second utility is doing. This explains why the utility needs to be run each time the system starts.
Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 over 14 years

@Fire Lancer: Then that utility should be right up your alley. :) @dsolimano: When you use AddFontResource (or AddFontResourceEx) you are registering it with the system. This action doesn't require admin rights, and isn't permanent. To make the font permanent requires the rights because you need them to a) add the font to the list in the registry, and b) (optionally) move it to he fonts folder. Just using AddfontResource is a big enough PITA that it's often better to plan to use a 2D framework with a bitmapped font provider. ;)
Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 over 14 years

Sweet hack! I'm going to have to keep that in mind for the future. :)
Kazark over 12 years

In what context? In what version of Windows?
Kazark over 12 years

Doesn't seem to work in 7. :(
MattDMo over 10 years

That RegisterFont.exe program does just the thing I was looking to do - just add a couple custom fonts to my work XP laptop. The blog walks even the minimally-technically-literate user through installation and setup. The utility could probably use a GUI to make things easier, but even as-is it's perfect. Thanks!
krlmlr about 9 years

Works as advertised with PortableApps 12.0.5. Can be installed in the user's home directory (e.g., on a server).
Lqueryvg over 8 years

Interesting solution but... if you are working in an organisation where you are not allowed admin rights, you are probably breaking all sorts of IS rules if you download and run software from the internet.
Melroy van den Berg almost 8 years

All the applications are open-source and free to use. If you use Gimp for editing some picture or use Inkscape I don't see any problem with that.
Einacio about 7 years

The second link goes to a service fraud website as of now
Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 about 7 years

@Einacio Link removed. Thanks for the heads up.
Michael over 6 years

Doesn't work at all (tested on Window 7)
Alex about 6 years

I've had success with this program, but note that it doesn't allow adding bitmap fonts (extension .fon)
phuclv almost 6 years

from the in-action video it looks like this would work on Windows 10, which isn't necessary anymore
Walialu almost 6 years

That is indeed awesome @phuclv! I wasn't aware that Win10 has it already built-in (at least from a specific patch-level onwards)! :)
Stefan_Fairphone over 5 years

Version 15.0.2 works on Window 10. After restarting both PortableApps.com and PowerPoint 2016 I can use all styles of Roboto there. This answer should rise further up.
Stefan_Fairphone over 5 years

Doesn't work at University of Vienna. There is only the option "Install" prefixed with the Admin shield.
phuclv over 5 years

@Stefan_Fairphone are you sure that the version >= 17704?
Stefan_Fairphone over 5 years

We are still on Windows 10 Build 16299... 😬 Sorry, I hadn't checked.
user744403 over 5 years

@Melroy It's not only about the software license. It's also about security. You may inadvertently download compromised applications if they are not vetted by IT. If something happens it becomes a question of liability. Most likely you will be liable if an application not vetted by IT causes trouble.
user2924019 about 4 years

Link is broken.
Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 about 4 years

@user2924019 Link removed.
antonio almost 3 years

@exhuma: What you say is simply wrong. Admin rights exist primarily to avoid that users modify shared system resources, therefore affecting other user experience. Portable apps exist to make non-persistent setups, which are confined in the user profiles. If you want policies to avoid installing third party software, you use Windows Group Policies.
Lex Li over 2 years

Behind the scene, the font files (like *.ttf) are copied to %localappdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Fonts. So if you can write scripts to automate the steps if you want to install many fonts.