On a Windows computer, we can install different fonts. Many websites offer free fonts that you can install on your Windows computers for personal and commercial use. If you don’t need a particular font, you can remove it from Windows settings. Alternatively, you can remove this particular font file from its default location. But some users have reported that Windows was displaying an error message when deleting a particular font file. In short, they cannot delete font files from their Windows 11/10 computers. This article lists possible solutions to resolve this issue.

The full error message looks like this:

Font file cannot be deleted because it’s in use.

This issue may occur if the font file is a system font. In this case, you will see the following message:

Font file cannot be deleted because it is a protected system font

If it is a system font, you should simply refuse to remove it.

Can’t delete font files in Windows 11/10

If you are unable to delete non-system font files and are receiving this error message Font cannot be deleted because it is in use When deleting font files in Windows 11/10, you can try the following fixes:

1. Remove font from Windows 11/10 Settings
2. Check font file permissions
3. Forbid Details panel
4. Stop Windows Font Services temporarily
5. Delete the font file from Windows Registry
6. Start your system at safe mode

Let’s look at all these solutions in detail.

The font cannot be deleted because it is in use

1]Remove font from Windows 11/10 settings.

The first thing you should try is to restart your computer and then, without opening any programs, remove the vi font. Windows Settings. If it works, you don’t need to follow the further troubleshooting steps in this article. Removing a font from Windows 11/10 settings is very easy. Open Windows 11/10 settings and go to “Personalization > Fonts“. Choose your font and you can remove it.

Removing a font from Windows Settings will also remove it from the default location.

2]Check the permissions on the font file

Check if you have full access rights to the font file or not. The following steps will help you with this:

1. Right click on the font file you cannot delete.
2. Choose Properties.
3. go to Security.
4. Choose your username from Group or user names. If your username is not there, select Users.
5. full control should be allowed for your username or users. If not, click Edit.
6. Now choose your username or Users and select allow Near full control.

After switching on full control for your font file, check if you can remove it. If not, try other fixes.

3]Disable details panel

This trick has solved the problem of many users. This may also work for you. Turn off the details panel, and then delete the font file. By default, fonts are installed in the following location on Windows:

C:WindowsFonts

Navigate to the above location and then navigate to “Organize > Layout“. You will see that Details panel is checked by default. Press Details panel to uncheck. This will disable the details panel. After disabling it, you will be able to delete the font file.

4]Stop Windows Font Services Temporarily

Windows shows you a message that a particular font file is in use, so it can’t be deleted. Here you can do one thing. Stop Windows Font Services temporarily and then delete the font file. If you can do it, start Windows Font Services again.

The following steps will help you with this:

1. Open Run clicking Win+R.
2. Type services.msc and press OK. This will launch Services Management .
3. Find the following two services and stop them. To do this, right-click on the service and select stop.
   • Windows Font Cache Service
   • Windows Presentation Foundation Font Cache 3.0.0.0
4. Restart your computer.
5. Now delete the font file.
6. If the font file is successfully removed, open the Services window again and run two Windows Font Services again. To do this, right-click on them and select start.
7. Restart your computer again.

5]Delete the font file from the Windows registry.

You can also remove font files from Windows Registry. The registry is the database of your Windows operating system. Therefore, follow the steps below carefully as any mistake can lead to serious errors. It will be better if you create System Restore Point or backup the registry.

Open Run and type regedit. Click OK. Click Yes at the UAC prompt. This will open Registry Editor.

Now copy the following path, paste it into the address bar of the registry editor and click Enter.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsNTCurrentVersionFonts

All fonts are listed there in alphabetical order. This will help you find the font file easily. When you find the font file, right click on it and select Delete. Close Registry Editor and restart your computer.

6]Start the system in safe mode.

If none of the above solutions worked for you, you can delete the font files in safe mode. When you start your system in safe modeall startup applications, add-ons, etc. remain disabled. Windows Safe Mode commonly used for troubleshooting. According to the error message, the font file cannot be deleted because it is in use. These types of problems can be fixed in safe mode.

Start the system in safe mode, then navigate to the folder where your fonts are located. Now right click on the font you want to delete and click Delete. Click Yes in the confirmation window. This time the file should be deleted without displaying an error message. After deleting the font files in safe mode, start the system in normal mode.

How to remove protected system fonts in Windows 11?

If you try to remove the Windows system font, you will see the message “The font cannot be removed because it is a protected system font.” It’s best not to delete the system fonts, but if you want to, you’ll need to take ownership, boot into safe mode, and then use the registry method described earlier in this post.

How to delete TTF files in Windows 11/10?

TTF file true type Font file. To delete a TTF file, navigate to the default folder, then right-click on it and select Delete. Default TTF file location:

C:WindowsFonts

If you are getting an error while deleting a TTF file, you can try deleting it from Windows 11/10 settings. If that doesn’t work, then you need to try some of the troubleshooting methods we provided in this article above.

Can I delete font files after installation?

If you don’t need the installed font, you can remove it. To do this, open the default font installation folder on your computer, right-click on the font you want to remove, then select Delete. Alternatively, you can remove the same font from Windows 11/10 settings. This will also remove that particular font from the default install location.

Above all the information for the most detailed information about the inability to delete font files in Windows 11/10. [Fixed]. Did this guide answer your question? Let useguide.net find out in the comments below.