What font is used on Windows 8 or Windows Phone 8?

Question

What font is used for the interface in Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8? Is this font free to use?

Solution 1

Windows 8 Developer Preview uses Segoe WP in some places (mostly Metro styled apps and settings) and the Windows 7 default font Segoe UI on the desktop.

The Consumer Preview of Windows 8 will use Segoe WP everywhere.

The fonts are free to use. You get them if you install Visual Studio 2010 or other free developer tools from Microsoft for creating Windows Phone apps.

Solution 2

By default, Segoe UI is the font used by Windows.

Windows XP used Tahoma for most user interfaces.

Windows 98 used MS Sans Serif.

Solution 3

As Jonno stated in his answer Segoe UI is the current default.

You can check (and change) the exact font being used on your system by opening the control panel, going to "Appearance and Personalization"...

clicking "Change Window Glass Colors"

clicking "Advanced Appearance Settings"

then selecting "Message Box" from the drop down menu to view the dialog box font settings for your system

Note: The screenshots and directions above are based on Windows 7. The exact steps to reach these settings may differ on other versions of Windows.

Solution 4

What font is used for the interface in Windows Phone 7 and Windows 8 Dev Preview?

For their Metro design language, Microsoft use fonts from the Segoe family. Windows Phone 7 uses Segoe WP.

Is this font free to use?

Segoe WP is bundled with Visual Studio 2010, but (I'm guessing here) you are probably only allowed to use it in your developed software and related materials.

A very similar Segoe UI is free for personal use, but must be licensed from Microsoft for commercial usage or for web development. Segoe UI is also closely related to Frutiger, which is sold commercially.

Solution 5

You can identify fonts by making a screenshot, cropping a sample of text and posting it at web-sites such as WhatTheFont! « MyFonts.

Some say it is a version of Monotype's Segoe which has been alleged to be a rip-off of Linotype's Frutiger.

Both are commercial fonts, to use them on another computer you'll need to buy the font (licence) for that computer or install commercial software that has the font bundled with it.

^{(Dang, that grawity is fast on the draw)}

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Comments

[Admin]

Related: Determine windows system wide font on stackoverflow.

[Admin]

Should be Segoe UI—this was introduced in Windows Vista.

[kinokijuf]

Segoe does not look like Frutiger at all. It, however, closely resembles [Adobe’s Myriad](en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myriad_(typeface%29).