GIMP does not see Windows fonts

Question

I have downloaded some fonts and installed them by double-clicking to open them, then clicking "Install font". Word and other Windows programs can see them, but GIMP does not list them in the text tool. Why is this?

These are TrueType fonts (packaged in .ttf files). I'm using Gimp 2.8.2

Answer 1

I am also using Win10, and here's a better solution.

In Gimp 2.8.22:

1. Go to EDIT --> PREFERENCES --> FOLDERS (expand this) --> FONTS
2. Click on FONTS
3. On the right side of the window it will display FONT FOLDERS
4. Add your C:\Windows\FONTS folder using the ADD button (icon on the left that looks like a page), and select the folder (open folder icon on the right)
5. Press OK, etc. until all the windows are closed
6. Exit out of GIMP and restart the application (this is what I did)

Now, you need to add all these FONTS to your toolbox.

1. Click on the Tool options triangle at the upper right
2. ADD TAB (expand)
3. Select FONTS

Check out an image of these menus expanded .

Now all your system fonts should be visible and available for use.

Answer 2

After checking a few similar posts elsewhere, it is usually fixed by clearing the font cache of GIMP. Although for some people even that does not work, and the case remains unsolved.

To clear the cache, browse to:
- XP and older:
Documents and Settings\[username]\Local Settings\Temp\fontconfig\cache
- Vista and newer:
Users\[username]\AppData\Local\fontconfig\cache

And delete the files there.

http://www.gimptalk.com/index.php?/topic/29683-font-loaded-not-showing-in-gimp-windows/
http://www.gimpchat.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=6615
http://gimper.net/viewtopic.php?t=644

Answer 3

On Windows 10 I had to copy TTF file in C:\Program Files\GIMP 2\share\gimp\2.0\fonts

Answer 4

I'm using GIMP 2.8 on Windows 10, and I tried the currently accepted answer from Juha. While GIMP did rebuild its font cache when I reloaded the program, the fonts I wanted were still not available.

In the end, I had to copy the .ttf files to C:\Users\[username]\.gimp-2.8\fonts

Answer 5

In Windows, if you install a font by just double-clicking it and then choosing install...

... it will install it for the current user only.

GIMP however only sees fonts that are installed "For all users".

To install a font for all users, right-click the font, then select "Install for all users":

Answer 6

TLDR: C:\Windows\Fonts is not a real folder. It's simulates a folder, and using it as the GIMP location will not work. The quickest solution is simply to copy this folder over to another location and use that secondary location, i.e., C:\Windows\Real-Fonts. Doing this, and then the Preferences->Folders->Font folder location, and then restarting, solved the problem for me.

Reasons I have for believing C:\Windows\Fonts is not a real folder:

• The display mode (which is excellent for reviewing fonts) displays the actual font, which is not an option for display in any other folder on your OS.
• Dragging and dropping a file into this folder initiates an OS admin install prompt for installing the font into the OS. (Dragging files elsewhere in Windows does not prompt OS updates.)
• And, of course, the reason for the original post: Using the C:\Windows\Fonts folder in Gimp will not allow Gimp to see the files there, because it's not a real folder.

Answer 7

You need to add all font locations. For instance, if you downloaded a font, and it's in the download section, simply installing it through windows will not be sufficient. You also need to add the folder the .tff file is located in. Hence why some people are just moving fonts to gimp\2.0\fonts instead.