User Account Control is really awesome – except for when it isn’t…
Example: UAC is great for stopping viruses (in fact, it might be the best tool Microsoft has introduced). UAC is always great for stopping some legitimate processes. In Vista – a standard user couldn’t refresh their IP address or change their time zone… One legitimate process still being stopped by UAC is the installation of Fonts by standard users.
So if you have tried editing security permissions and changing registry settings to allow installation, let me tell you – give up. If you want to deploy fonts in a Vista+ world, you will need to use Group Policy. Here is how:
Step 1: Extracting Fonts
Download and extract all of the fonts into a network folder. Ideally, this should be a software distribution share that domain computers can read from. Most fonts come in a compressed package. After extracting, be sure to delete any picture samples or text documents. In your font folder, you only want the actually font file. If you anticipate that you will be installing fonts on a semi-regular basis, create sub folders to organize the files. For example, put fonts requested by certain sites (or departments) in specific folders.
Nice Clean Font Folder
Step 2: Creating the Font Package
On your software packaging VM, fire up WinInstall LE (now called Smart Packager). If you don’t have WinInstall LE, you can download it here: https://deployhappiness.com/resources/tool-downloads/. Select create a new package and give your package a unique name (ex: Fine Arts Department Fonts). On the final page, select the second option (edit package directly – without workflow).
Step 3: Building the Font MSI
Once the package editor is up, select the files tab and then press the Add Button. Browse to your network folder containing the extracted fonts. Select all of the fonts and press open. Before pressing OK to the Browse screen, change the installation location to [FontsFolder]\
Step 4: Deploying Fonts with Group Policy
Press Ok twice to exit back to the Smart Packager screen. Your MSI is now done! You can now deploy it to your computers using Group Policy Software Installation or SCCM. If or when you get a new font, simply edit the package and add the additional font. Then mark the MSI for reinstallation.
If you would rather let your users install the fonts themselves with a PowerShell script, check out this follow-up guide.
Finally, if you want to learn more about PowerShell and how it will make your life easier, then subscribe by email to get weekly tips (plus your free guide to the Windows 8 Administrative Start Menu)!
Don’t work in win 10
The MSI method works for my Windows 10 machines.
Will this work Windows 10?
Kind of. A better solution would be to use Windows 10 1809 as it supports native font installation for standard users.
You can also use http://code.kliu.org/misc/fontreg/
It does not require installation and works well also with Windows 7.
Deployed through PDQ Deploy (free version).
I have never seen that before! Thank you for sharing!!
I’ve tried this, package installed but no files copied to the fonts folder.
If extract .msi via 7zip I can see files inside.
This didnt worked for on Windows 7 AND Windows Xp Both pro Edition.
If i set the font to deploy in desktop it’s ok it’s deploying It , but on Fonts i didnt manage to deploy It .
Any ideeas why ?
Hi Andrei,
Make sure the registry entries for each font got created as well: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Fonts\
You can manually install a font to see how the entries should look. If the entries aren’t there, you can use Group Policy Preferences to deploy them.
Let me know what you find out,
Joseph
I had to create registry entries as well.
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Fonts\
and there create corresponding entries for each font.
I also use the goup policy object to copy the fonts from a shared folder to the destination %windir%\fonts (source is: \\\\*.ttf) which works great.
Thank you for commenting! I am glad that it works great with your extra registry entries!
How exactly does one do this? Can you write out a guide on creating the Reg entries? I am deploying to many computers so sitting down at each one doesn’t apply here. These are PCs with no rights to the FONTS folder.
Hey Chris – I used registry preferences in this guide here: https://deployhappiness.com/setting-the-default-logon-background-with-bing-images-and-group-policy/
I want to say that this article is awesome
It dosen’t work on windows 7 and windows 8.I think we shoud register each Font to the registry!
Hi Henry,
I haven’t tried this on Windows 8 yet. We do use it on our windows 7 machines though. Did the font that you deployed end up in C:\Windows\Fonts?
I’m impressed, I must say.
I find this article very helpful!