What is the best (free) Font Explorer for Windows?

Question

I am looking for an alternative to my old "Font Navigator" that I... borrowed... from the CorelDraw Suite :-)

Googling for it, took me to hundreds of pages with old software, so I hope to find a quick idea from here (waiting for FontExplorer X from Linotype).

Which Font Explorer for Windows do you currently use? My "requisites" are:

• browse and preview installed/uninstalled fonts

• install/uninstall fonts

• free :-)

Thanks in advance

Solution 1

This thread references the main font explorers like Bitstream Font Navigator, Typograf (both already mentioned) and OT1 Font Manager

... but they are not free.

The only one which might be free would be Font Explorer X, which has a beta version for PC, but that version is quite "dangerous"

“It IS very glitchy. Not totally useless but you have to get over the fact that it totally messes up any directory of fonts. So make a seperate folder for the fonts you want to import into the program as it will delete those fonts from the original folder. Also make a backup copy of your windows fonts folder just in case it decides to remove the fonts from there too.”

Solution 2

I had tried a lot over the years. The one I currently use is AMP Font Viewer, which is very good and does all you request... and more (like "Install font temporarily", manage categories, etc.).

[Arjan Mel's Font Viewer](http://www.google.fr/search?q=%22arjan+mel%22"Arjan Mel's Font Viewer") is also good but old, abandoned and a bit unstable...

Plus I have various character table viewers, including the superb BabelMap.

Solution 3

I found Opcion quite practical. Works on multiple platforms.

Doesn't do install/uninstall, but does everything else.

http://opcion.sourceforge.net/

Comments

[VonC]

I understand: I hope you will find the right product from the other answers. Let us know ;)

[Filini]

AMP Font Viewer looks really good, but I don't see the possibility to see subdirectories for non-installed fonts (I have to navigate to see them). Am I missing something? Thanks a lot for the progeam suggestion.