# Which system fonts can be removed from Windows 10 without affecting Mp3tag appearance? \[And how?\]

**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/which-system-fonts-can-be-removed-from-windows-10-without-affecting-mp3tag-appearance-and-how/46098
**Category:** Off-Topic
**Created:** [August 6, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/which-system-fonts-can-be-removed-from-windows-10-without-affecting-mp3tag-appearance-and-how/46098 "2019-08-06T18:50:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 10

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### Author: ![Zerow](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/zerow/32/11379_2.png) [@Zerow](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Zerow)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2019, 8:13pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/which-system-fonts-can-be-removed-from-windows-10-without-affecting-mp3tag-appearance-and-how/46098/10 "2019-10-13T20:13:24Z")

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It took me a long time to take this on this issue once again and it required from me a lot of working hours spent on joggling with different disks / setups, but here is what I have finally established:  
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1] The font that holds all those signs is `Marlett`, visible on the drive as `marlett.ttf`. Once I copy that file to

**C:\Windows\Fonts**

the problem goes away after the reset  
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2] Microsoft did not make it easy for me to pin point the culprit [as apparently they really like to treat customers like idiots - [Support of the WEBM video file format](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/support-of-the-webm-video-file-format/46641/13)], because under the

**Properties \> Details \> File description**

I have zero information what it contains or what it is needed for. Many others fonts, also those with `Copyright` by Microsoft, have very informative data in that field. [So this seems the most vital font - and yet it was "described" like something disposable]  
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3] What the User [who is the Administrator] sees in the

**C:\Windows\Fonts**

using a file manager like FreeCommander or Total Commander or a photo manager like XnViewMP is something different that what is visible for the very same User when the (Windows) Explorer of Microsoft is chosen for navigation  
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4] When using Explorer the User is able to easily remove fonts from the Fonts folder of the active operating system for good  
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5] When using Explorer the User is unable to copy the fonts from the Fonts folder that is currently used by the operating system. Software like FreeCommander must be used  
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6] Using

**Start \> Settings \> Personalization \> Fonts**

for managing fonts is a waste of time, to put it mildly. Some fonts cannot be removed at all, some other re-appear just after the supposedly performed uninstallation of them  
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7] In the Fonts folder I have encountered files in formats

- CompositeFont
- dat [just 1: `StaticCache`]
- fon
- ini [just 1: `desktop`]
- OTF
- ttc
- ttf
- xml [just 1: `fms_metadata`]

After my initials trials, in the second run now I have left only the `StaticCache.dat` file [to be precise: I copied it from that other machine / system which was running A-OK with a minimal amount of fonts installed from scratch on it]; plus the INI file [which is responsible most likely for the icon of the Fonts folder]. Also I have no other fonts than those in format OTF, TTC and TTF  
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**All in all: some fonts can only be removed by using Explorer - and `Marlett` is a must have in Windows 10 if you do not want to see graphical errors all over it**  
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I will continue to work with the current setup for some time [I will simply use it on a daily basis for different tasks]. So far I have checked multiple programs, big and small, free and payable- all seem to have all those special graphic signs in them and all seem to a shortened list of fonts. I performed multiple resets of the system- but I did not yet updated my Windows so I do not know if my clean up will not be somehow reverted when I perform one [my updates are paused for good with a third party software and I try to manage requests of internet connections with COMODO Firewall as well as the internal requests for access by one process to another]

Later on I will restore my main system, implement the aforementioned changes [thus test them once again] and try to further lean up my list of fonts [thus confirm my findings] and also update it. And at the end of that process I will come back here report if my clean up of fonts is stable and not causing problems

And If everything will be working, I will then mark this post as the one containing the solution

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_[View the full topic](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/which-system-fonts-can-be-removed-from-windows-10-without-affecting-mp3tag-appearance-and-how/46098)._