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I'm using Windows 10 x64 Pro and I'm unable to preview or install fonts.

When I try to preview a font (double click or Right Click >> Preview), I get an error message that reads "The requested file <font file> is not a valid font file" as shown in the screenshot below:

enter image description here

When I try to install a font (Right Click >> Install), another error that reads "The file <font file> does not appear to be a valid font" is shown (screenshot below):

enter image description here

Things I've checked:

  • I have UAC enabled in my registry but set to lowest setting "Never Notify". I thought UAC had something to do with this, but the behavior is the same whether or not EnableLUA is set to 0 or 1 in registry.
  • I have checked the Event Viewer (Application and System sections) for hints to the problem, but this error is not reported at all in the logs from what I see. This seems strange.

Why can't I install fonts on Windows 10? I verified the behavior with several downloaded otf and ttf font files. So I'm fairly certain the files are not corrupted.

EDIT

When I go to the Fonts section of Control Panel, I do not see an "Install Font" option in the "File" menu, as shown in the screenshot below.

enter image description here

void.pointer
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  • Have you tried following [Microsoft](http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows-vista/install-or-uninstall-fonts) ? – clhy Aug 16 '15 at 02:45
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    I don't see an install font option in step 2. See my edits to my original post for screenshot. – void.pointer Aug 16 '15 at 03:30
  • Next procedure works for me: download [dejavu-fonts-ttf-2.35.zip](http://dejavu-fonts.org/wiki/Download) ==> RightClick, Properties, **Unblock**, OK ==> **Extract** all.. Then navigate to `dejavu-fonts-ttf-2.35\ttf` folder, select (something or even all), RightClick the selection, Install – JosefZ Aug 16 '15 at 08:01
  • @JosefZ I don't understand what that accomplishes. I used 7-Zip to extract the archive, and from the extracted directory I attempt to install the fonts. Your solution also does not explain why "Install Font' option is missing from the Fonts folder. – void.pointer Aug 16 '15 at 12:36
  • Interestingly, this problem also makes loading web fonts fail with error code CSS3111 "unknown error" when using `@font-face` in IE11 (but not Edge!). Enabling the firewall helps there, too. – fpbhb Oct 16 '15 at 15:48
  • I don't have enough points to submit a proper answer so this comment will have to do for now. I found a non-firewall related solution here. https://superuser.com/a/1544980/603666 – Stringfellow Nov 24 '21 at 23:39

2 Answers2

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After a week of trying everything. The answer as weird as it sounds is to enable the windows firewall. I know, makes no sense right? It's not connected to font settings, however once "On" I was able to fix my issue with installing fonts on windows 10 and without an error message!

DavidPostill
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Geremy V
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    What the freak? – void.pointer Aug 17 '15 at 20:57
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    Wow incredibly surprising and scary. I enabled Windows Firewall service and fonts are working perfectly again. I'd love to hear a logical explanation to this from *someone*. This is madness. – void.pointer Aug 18 '15 at 01:33
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    Yep can confirm this works – Riz Aug 25 '15 at 19:53
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    Good news is, once the font is installed, I can re-disable the firewall. The font will be kept even after reboot. – Reci Sep 09 '15 at 05:51
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    This may become one of the most stupefying solutions ever. Makes you wonder about the design choices made in Redmond. :D – shevy Sep 10 '15 at 12:43
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    that's not a valid question. It is a firewall, it has a specific function - allowing or blocking network traffic. If it can be disabled, the system shouldn't start falling apart. And I'd like to know why securing network traffic and local font installation are connected in any way. – Dirk Trilsbeek Sep 10 '15 at 15:14
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    @Oskar What difference does that make? People can do it, so they will. Why do people text and drive, go months without taking backups, smoke cigarettes, gamble, spend enormous amounts of money on Fabergé eggs, etc.? I disable host firewalls all the time for convenience, testing, troubleshooting, etc. – Aaron Bertrand Sep 10 '15 at 15:18
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    There have been a [number](http://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/a-look-at-the-open-type-font-manager-vulnerability-from-the-hacking-team-leak/) of [attacks](http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/microsoft-windows-truetype-font-parsing-zero-day-vulnerability-used-limited-attacks) against font parsing. Could this be an attempt to mitigate what those attacks could theoretically do? – ehdv Sep 10 '15 at 19:55
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    Theoretically a possibility, but if that's the case then why not say 'Please enable the windows firewall before installing fonts for security reasons' with possibly a button to ignore the error and install anyway, instead of some random error that is caused by something seemingly unrelated – RyanTimmons91 Sep 10 '15 at 20:21
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    This most likely has to do with Security Zones: a bookkeeping scheme which enables windows to prompt you differently when you e.g. run an executable that has been downloaded from the internet. Security Zones configuration has a special policy section pertaining to fonts. Enabling the firewall must make the system more trust-ish. I suppose it makes sense that when you reduce the local system security, the system responds by being more hardcore about this stuff. Probably – Yorik Sep 11 '15 at 14:44
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    To test that theory: Remove fonts in question. Download the Sysinternals suite. In an administrator shell, run `streams -d *` on the downloads directory. Disable firewall. Try to install fonts again. What happens? – Tomalak Sep 12 '15 at 06:47
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    I'm sorry but it's a perfectly valid question as you are not supposed to disable the firewall _service_. If you want to turn off the firewall functionality you simply do that with the options given while the service is still running: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766337(v=ws.10).aspx The firewall _service_ is required for literally TONS of features in Windows from games to IPSEC to what-have-not and is likely to be used for new functionality in the future. The error message in this case sure is stupid - but expect things to break when randomly disabling system services. – Oskar Duveborn Sep 23 '15 at 08:51
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    OMG! this is like the 5th item in Win10 that forces you use have Windows Firewall enabled just to be able to make a change or install something. There are many other little settings all over Win10 that also requires the firewall to work, it is so annoying. Thank you for the tip. – AllGamer Feb 28 '16 at 00:49
  • Doesn't work for me firewall was already enabled can't install fonts. – Someone Aug 31 '16 at 11:26
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    Yes, this is the solution. If you cannot change Windows Firewall settings due to some company Admin limitations, start the service of Windows Firewall solves the problem. Windows+r, type "services.msc", find "Windows Firewall", change it to "Automatic", and initiate it, that simple... it sucks, yes, and makes no sense. – WesternGun Sep 26 '16 at 07:49
  • I did a search and found a post [here](http://www.tenforums.com/general-support/10847-cannot-install-preview-any-fonts-all.html), where you can find a screeshot of the error log [here](http://i.imgur.com/YeCfqU0.png), saying "CreateAppContainerProfile failed with error 0x800706D9 because it was unable to register with the firewall." It may shed some lights to the problem. – WesternGun Sep 26 '16 at 08:02
  • I already have a perfectly good firewall INSTALLED ON MY ROUTER or (*gasp*) ON MY ACTUAL HARDWARE FIREWALL! Just way too many really stupid people working at Microsoft nowadays. LET ME OPT-IN IF I WANT YOUR STUPID CRAP! STOP BREAKING MY SYSTEM BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BE FORCED TO USE YOUR STUPID CRAP! – jerhewet Oct 01 '16 at 21:32
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    I don't have enough rep to answer (since this is protected) but in addition to having to turn on my firewall, I also found that you can't install a font that lives on a subst mapped drive. As soon as I copied my font to a "real" location, the installer worked. – drglove Oct 31 '16 at 22:18
  • @AllGamer, What are the other items you found that were blocked by this firewall bug? I'd like to note them down so I don't go on another wild goose chase – BelgoCanadian Dec 28 '17 at 18:11
  • Additionally, is there a way to fix all problems related to this firewall bug? Like a registry key to ignore restrictions when Windows Firewall is turned off? – BelgoCanadian Dec 28 '17 at 18:15
  • did not work for my DroidSansMono.ttf font! :( – ShAkKiR May 30 '18 at 06:58
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    I had to `Right click` and select `Install for all users` – nick-s May 13 '19 at 07:14
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I met this problem as well through my git repositories hosting font files. Here's a weird solution that worked for me. Copy (and yes its Ctrl + C not Ctrl + X for cutting) the file somewhere else or even in the same directory and the copied file will work.

Also the top solution does not work for me. My firewall is already activated.

Further digging showed that copying did not change any of the file contents. Both are the same, I ran sha1sum on both files, and their hashes matched.

Later checking the security properties on the original font file, Windows popped up with "The permissions on X.ttf are incorrectly ordered, which may cause some entries to be ineffective.". So it looks like my git cloning of the repository is causing some messed up permissions to be set upon placing the font file in Windows. In that case, it does have some relation to the security and permissions system on Windows. That just means the error that font viewer application is giving back is very badly worded.

CMCDragonkai
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    yup, i can confirm this too, also, installing fonts from removable media will surely fail without any error message. after copied the fonts to local disk, i can install it – am05mhz Jul 31 '16 at 06:43
  • did not work for my DroidSansMono.ttf font! :( – ShAkKiR May 30 '18 at 06:58