7 Best Ways to Fix GIMP Not Showing New Fonts in Windows 10

Mehvish Mushtaq is a computer engineer by degree. Her love for Android and gadgets led her to develop the first Android app for Kashmir. Known as Dial Kashmir, she won the prestigious Nari Shakti award from the President of India. She has been writing about technology for 6+ years and her favorite categories include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, social media, and web apps.

When youadd fonts in Windows PC, technically, they will be immediately available on all supported programs like Microsoft Word, Paint, Photoshop, and even GIMP. But, at times, while the fonts show up in some apps, they are missing from others. That’s what happens in GIMP for some users. So we will tell you how to fix GIMP not recognizing new fonts.

GIMP is a free and open-source alternative to Photoshop. While we know its capabilities regarding image manipulation, such aschanging the image background,removing the background, and evenmaking the background transparent, it surprises us when it comes to text too. But for that, we need to have beautiful fonts. And when those fail to load, problems arise.

Let’s dive straight into the ways to show new fonts in GIMP

How to Install Fonts in GIMP

You don’t need to install fonts separately in GIMP. By default, any font you install on your Windows PC shall become available in GIMP. To install fonts, you can drag and drop the font files (after theZIP file is extracted) into the C:\Windows\Fonts folder.

Alternatively, right-click on the font file present in any folder and select Install or Install for all users. Check our detailed guide onhow to install fonts in GIMP.

Now that you know the proper method to install fonts, let’s check why isn’t it showing the new fonts.

1. Rescan Fonts

Once you install new fonts on your PC, you should always use the native Rescan fonts feature in GIMP to show the new fonts.

For that, launch GIMP and click on the Fonts tab present on the right side. You will see a green refresh icon. Click on it to rescan the fonts.

If the Fonts tab isn’t present, click on the configure this tab icon.

Select Add tab followed by Fonts.

Tip:Alternatively, you can add the Fonts tab from the menu Windows > Dockable Dialogs > Fonts.

2. Restart GIMP

If rescanning doesn’t make GIMP load the new fonts, then restart GIMP. For that, close the app and then open it again.

Pro Tip: You should also try the magical trick of restarting your PC.

3. Supported Fonts

GIMP is based on the FreeType 2 font engine,which supports many font formats. Those include:

Any font that FreeType 2 can handle will be added to GIMP once you install it on your Windows PC. You need to add the rest of the fonts manually in the Fonts folder of GIMP if they don’t load, as shown below.

4. Check Font Folders in GIMP

By default, GIMP should have at least two folder paths added in its settings. One is the Windows font folder, and the second is the GIMP font folder. If anyone of them is missing, especially the Windows folder, the fonts will not work properly in GIMP. So you need to check the font folders and add a folder if it is missing.

To do so, follow these steps:

Step 1:Launch GIMP and click on the Edit at the top. Select Preferences from it.

Step 2: On the left side of the Preferences window, click on the plus icon next to the Folders option to expand it.

Step 3: Scroll down and click on Fonts. Then, on the right side will see the various folder paths. Make sure the Windows font folder path — C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Fonts or C:\Windows\Fonts is added. Also, check for the GIMP folder C:\Program Files\GIMP 2\share\gimp\2.0\fonts.

Step 4: In case the file location where your fonts are installed is missing in the above step, you need to add it. For that, click the add a folder icon. Then, click on the path selection icon. Navigate to the font folder path. Then, click on Ok.

5. Add Fonts Manually in GIMP

To do so, navigate to the path C:\Program Files\GIMP 2\share\gimp\2.0\fonts on your PC. Copy theextracted font file (TTF)to this folder. Then, rescan fonts as shown above or restart GIMP.

6. Update GIMP

Similar to all tools, even GIMP is prone to bugs. Sometimes, the issue is in the current version of GIMP, and that’s why you don’t see the new fonts. To fix it,check if an update is available for GIMP. If it is, install it.

7. Uninstall GIMP

If nothing works, you should try reinstalling GIMP. For that, first,uninstall GIMP from your PC. Restart your PC. Then, install it again.

Bonus Tip: Preview Fonts Quickly

When you have to choose a font for your text in GIMP, it’s a time-consuming task to select the text every time. Fortunately, you can preview fonts quickly in GIMP without repeating all the steps.

For that, select the text in GIMP. Then, click on the Fonts tab present on the right side. Click on one font and then use the arrow keys to cycle through the others. The new font will immediately reflect on your text.

Customize Text

Hopefully, your favorite fonts will be back in GIMP by following the above methods. Once they are, you can manipulate your text in multiple ways to make amazing graphics. For instance, you cancreate a cool see-through text effect imagein GIMP. You can evenadd shadow to your textfor more effect.

Next up:Want to make social media posters and banners in GIMP. Find out how to make attractive banners for YouTube and other sites in GIMP.

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Last updated on 13 July, 2021

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