Rebuild the font cache
An important part of my work is testing the fonts I develop. This frequently involves installing different versions of the same font, evaluating them, and replacing them with improved versions.
During these tests the fonts sometimes don’t look the way I expect them to within a certain application or operating system. Spacing looks bad, font styles don’t appear correctly in font menus, certain letters look munched. This is a somewhat infrequent but extremely frustrating situation that happens not just to me, but also to designers and other users.
Systems write font data to cache files for quicker loading, but these don’t always update when fonts come and go through the operating system; they may point to old data or become corrupt. Clearing the font cache can help in these situations by forcing the computer to rebuild up-to-date cache files.
Here’s how, for a few different environments:
Adobe InDesign
Search for and delete files that start with AdobeFnt and end in .lst
On Windows, usually in:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\TypeSpt
On Mac, usually in:
~/Library/Caches/Adobe InDesign/Version XX/
(the User Library folder is accessible through Finder > Go; press alt key for Library)
Empty the Trash/Recycling Bin, then restart an Adobe application.
macOS (10.9 [Mavericks] and later)
In Terminal (Applications/Utilities), type:
sudo atsutil databases -removethen enter your user password
atsutil server -shutdown
atsutil server -ping
Wait about 60 seconds before relaunching an application; in rare instances you will have to restart your computer.
Office 2011 (Mac)
With all Office applications quit, search for and move to Trash:
~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/Preferences/Office 2011/Office Font Cache
(the User Library folder is accessible through Finder > Go; press alt key for Library)
Empty Trash, then relaunch an Office application.
Windows 10 / 8.1
This method will save you time and a huge headache by clearing the cache while running in Safe Mode. This lets you use the command prompt as an administrator, turns Windows Font Caching Services off, and sidesteps the need to change changing file visibility or system permissions.
Restart your machine in Safe Mode by clicking on the Power icon in the Start menu > shift-click on Restart.
A blue ‘Choose an option’ screen will appear. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
During restart, another blue screen with options will appear. Press 4 or F4 for Enable Safe Mode.
When restarting is complete, search for cmd to open the command prompt. Assuming the system is on drive C:, type (cut-and-paste isn’t possible!), depending on your Windows version:
Windows 10:
del /q "C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\FontCache\*FontCache*"
rd /s /q "C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\FontCache\Fonts"
del /q "C:\Windows\System32\FNTCACHE.DAT"
Windows 8.1:
del /q "C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\FontCache\*FontCache*"
del /q "C:\Windows\System32\FNTCACHE.DAT"
Restart computer.
Windows 7
This process is almost identical as for Windows 10 / 8.1.
To restart your computer in Safe Boot mode, search for msconfig to open the System Configuration Utility. In the Boot tab, under Boot Options, check Safe Boot, Minimal, then press OK. You will then be asked whether you want to restart immediately, or save open files and restart later.
(Another way to Safe Boot mode is to startup with the F8 button pressed, but the timing can be tricky.)
After restarting, search for cmd to open the command prompt. Assuming the system is on drive C:, type:
del /q "C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\FontCache\*FontCache*"
del /q "C:\Windows\System32\FNTCACHE.DAT"
To restart in normal mode, search for msconfig again to re-open the System Configuration Utility. In the Boot tab, under Boot Options, uncheck Safe Boot, press OK. You will be asked again whether you want to restart immediately, or save open files and restart later.
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