How to Change the Font in Windows 11 (System Font, Size, and More)

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Windows 11 uses the Segoe UI font family for menus, title bars, and Settings, and unlike older versions of Windows, it has no setting to change the system font. You can still change it with a small registry tweak, and you can change the font size, install new fonts, and change fonts in individual apps without touching the registry. This guide covers all of these, including how to undo the system font change safely.

Quick Answer

To make text bigger, use Settings > Accessibility > Text size. To install fonts, drag font files onto Settings > Personalization > Fonts. To change the system font itself, you need a registry file that replaces Segoe UI with another installed font; back up first, because it’s unsupported and some parts of Windows 11 will still use the default font.

Windows 11 Settings Fonts page with the drag and drop install area and the list of available fonts, with Segoe UI highlighted
Install new fonts by dropping them on the Fonts page (1). Segoe UI (2) is the default system font Windows 11 uses.

Option 1: Change the Text Size (Safest)

  1. Open Settings > Accessibility > Text size.
  2. Drag the Text size slider until the preview looks right.
  3. Click Apply.

To enlarge everything (text, icons, and apps), use Settings > System > Display > Scale instead.

Option 2: Install a New Font

  1. Download a font from a trusted source (such as Google Fonts) and unzip it if needed.
  2. Open Settings > Personalization > Fonts.
  3. Drag the .ttf or .otf files onto Drag and drop to install. Or right-click a font file and choose Install (or Install for all users).

The font is now available in apps like Word, PowerPoint, and Paint, and can be used for the system font method below.

Option 3: Change the System Font With the Registry

Before you start: Create a restore point (search for Create a restore point, click Create), and choose a font that’s already installed. Note its exact name as shown on the Fonts page.

  1. Open Notepad and paste the following, replacing NEW-FONT-NAME with the font’s exact name (for example, Verdana):
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts]
"Segoe UI (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Bold (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Bold Italic (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Italic (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Light (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Semibold (TrueType)"=""
"Segoe UI Symbol (TrueType)"=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]
"Segoe UI"="NEW-FONT-NAME"
  1. Click File > Save As, set Save as type to All files, and save it as change-font.reg.
  2. Double-click the file, click Yes to the warnings, and restart your PC.

Menus, dialogs, and many apps will use the new font. Parts of Windows 11 that use Segoe UI Variable (such as some Settings pages and the Start menu) may keep the default look. Very decorative fonts can make text hard to read or cut off.

Restore the default font

Save and run this as restore-font.reg, then restart:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts]
"Segoe UI (TrueType)"="segoeui.ttf"
"Segoe UI Black (TrueType)"="seguibl.ttf"
"Segoe UI Black Italic (TrueType)"="seguibli.ttf"
"Segoe UI Bold (TrueType)"="segoeuib.ttf"
"Segoe UI Bold Italic (TrueType)"="segoeuiz.ttf"
"Segoe UI Emoji (TrueType)"="seguiemj.ttf"
"Segoe UI Historic (TrueType)"="seguihis.ttf"
"Segoe UI Italic (TrueType)"="segoeuii.ttf"
"Segoe UI Light (TrueType)"="segoeuil.ttf"
"Segoe UI Light Italic (TrueType)"="seguili.ttf"
"Segoe UI Semibold (TrueType)"="seguisb.ttf"
"Segoe UI Semibold Italic (TrueType)"="seguisbi.ttf"
"Segoe UI Semilight (TrueType)"="segoeuisl.ttf"
"Segoe UI Semilight Italic (TrueType)"="seguisli.ttf"
"Segoe UI Symbol (TrueType)"="seguisym.ttf"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]
"Segoe UI"=-

If anything goes wrong, you can also use System Restore to return to the restore point you created.

Option 4: Change Fonts in Individual Apps

  • Browsers: Chrome and Edge let you set default fonts under Settings > Appearance > Customize fonts.
  • Office apps: Change the default font in the Normal style (Word) or theme fonts.
  • Terminal and Notepad: Each has a font setting in its own Settings.

Other Tweaks for Readability

  • ClearType: Search for Adjust ClearType text and follow the wizard to make text sharper.
  • Bold text: Windows 11 doesn’t have a system-wide bold option, but increasing text size and using a high-contrast theme (Accessibility > Contrast themes) can help.

Summary

  1. For bigger text, use Accessibility > Text size.
  2. Install fonts in Personalization > Fonts.
  3. Change the system font only with a registry file, after creating a restore point.
  4. Keep the restore file handy to go back to Segoe UI.

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