How to Rebuild Font Cache in Windows 11

A corrupted font cache can cause font rendering problems and slow down the PC. Here is how to create and rebuild the font cache in Windows 11.

To simplify things and save system resources, Windows automatically creates a font cache file for all the installed fonts in your system. Windows uses the cache file to display fonts on the screen as fast as possible. Without a proper font cache, Windows has to do a lot of work in real-time to display fonts on the screen. As you can guess, this real-time work will consume a lot of system resources. That’s where the font cache comes into play and saves the day.

It is not often, but there will be times when you need to clear or delete the font cache in Windows 11. If the font cache is corrupted, it can cause all kinds of problems. For example, the fonts won’t render correctly, the OS might slow down while showing a heavy text screen, display garbled or invalid characters, etc.

What corrupts the font cache in Windows?

Being a cache file, there is no specific reason why it gets corrupted. There are many reasons, such as the system turning off unexpectedly, power loss, unwanted changes made by programs, and problems with antivirus software.

No matter the reason, when encountering font rendering issues or seeing garbled or invalid characters on the screen, clearing and rebuilding the font cache may help. The good thing is, it is pretty easy to rebuild the font cache in Windows 11. All you have to do is delete the font cache files and reboot the system. Doing that will force Windows to recreate the font cache.

So, without delay, let me show you how to clear the font cache, delete the font cache, and rebuild the font cache in the Windows 11 operating system.

Before You Start

• Administrator rights are required to delete the font cache file in Windows 11.

Clear and rebuild the font cache in Windows 11

To clear or delete the font cache, you must delete all the font cache files. However, these files are locked and in use by the Font Cache Windows Service. So, we need to stop that service to unlock the files and then delete them. If you skip the ‘stopping the service’ part, you will be unable to delete the font cache files. Though it sounds complicated, it is pretty easy to do.

Here are the steps to delete font cache files and rebuild the font cache:

1. Open the Run dialog box (Win + R).
2. Type “services.msc” in the field.
3. Press the “OK” button.
4. Right-click on the “Windows Font Cache Service“.
5. Select the “Stop” option.
6. Open the Run dialog box (Win + R).
7. Paste “%WinDir%\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData” in the field.
8. Press “OK“.
9. Click “Continue” if prompted.
10. Go to the “Local” > “FontCache” folder.
11. Delete all the “FontCache” files.
12. Close the File Explorer.
13. Reboot the computer.
14. After a restart, Windows automatically rebuilds the Font cache.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

As I said earlier, we need to stop the Font Cache service. You can do that with the Windows Services tool, which you can open via the Run dialog. So, press the “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialog box, type “services.msc” in the blank field, and click the “OK” button. You can also search for the same in the Start menu.

After opening the Services tool, find the “Windows Font Cache” service (you might have to scroll to the bottom), right-click it, and select “Stop“. This action will stop the Windows Font Cache service instantly.

Once the service has been stopped, open the Run dialog box again by pressing the “Windows key + R”. Paste the “%WinDir%\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData” path in the Run dialog box and press the “OK” button.

If you see an administrator prompt, click the “Continue” button. In the AppData folder, go to the “Local” folder and then to the “FontCache” folder. This is where all the font cache files are relocated.

Here, select all the font cache files and then press the “Delete” key on your keyboard to delete them. Font cache files start with the name “FontCache” or “~FontCache”.

Note: You do not need to delete the “Font” folder.

Once the cache files are deleted, close File Explorer, the Services window, and then restart your computer.

After rebooting, Windows 11 will automatically start the font cache service, scan the system for fonts, and create new font cache files. Essentially, Windows 11 will automatically rebuild the font cache files for you. You don’t have to do that manually.

That is all. It is that simple to rebuild font cache files in Windows 11. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to help.

Thanks,
Vamsi.