My Windows 10 default font has changed to symbols!

Hi everyone,

When my computer started up today all of my default text has turned into symbols, rendering the computer almost completely unusable. I've attached a screenshot of how my windows now look.

My language is set to english and the only recent change to my machine is a newly installed font.

A quick google search has shown me that this is a common problem since windows 7, which is caused by installing a mac .ttf font. There is also a fix which apparently involves copying the fonts folder from an un-affected PC and changing some registry settings, effectively resetting the fonts.

The problem is that I don't have another PC, windows 10 or otherwise. This is the only machine that I have access to, and finding a solution myself looks very difficult as I cannot navigate the menus, etc.

Does anyone know what I should do? Any help will be very gratefully received.

Many thanks,

Paul

Image

Answer
Answer

Reboot but don't login.

At the login screen, look for the power icon at the bottom right.

Hold Shift while you click it and choose restart. Keep holding Shift until the next screen appears.

Now you should be able to go to system restore and "go back a day" to before the problem started.

Shawn "Cmdr" Keene | Microsoft MVP 2010-2024 | CmdrKeene.com | tweet: @CmdrKeene
Microsoft MVPs are independent experts offering real-world answers. Learn more at mvp.microsoft.com.

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Last updated March 22, 2025 Views 22,199 Applies to: