Microsoft announces Fonts will come to the Microsoft Store, and Variations Previews
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Dave Crossland
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From https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2018/01/24/announcing-windows-10-insider-preview-build-17083-for-pc :
What’s new in Build 17083
Font Settings and Fonts in the Microsoft Store
Fonts are an important asset for your visual creativity. In this build, we’re introducing new experiences for managing your fonts in Settings, and for acquiring additional fonts from the Microsoft Store.
You may be familiar with the Fonts control panel, which you could use to see the fonts that are currently installed, or to install or uninstall fonts. That control panel hasn’t been able to show off newer font capabilities, such as color fonts or variable fonts, and a refresh has been needed. In Build 17083, we’re providing a new Fonts page within Settings.
![Image: https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/4b811fd3ed80360dc9d9a769cfa1939f-1024x639.png Fonts page in Settings showing a preview of each font family](https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/4b811fd3ed80360dc9d9a769cfa1939f-1024x639.png)
The initial page for Fonts settings provides a short preview of each font family. The previews use a variety of interesting strings that are selected to match the primary languages that each font family is designed for together with your own language settings. And if a font has multi-color capabilities built into it, then the preview will demonstrate this.
![Font previews reflect the primary languages a font is designed for as well as multi-color fonts](https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/5eae0481ed654570f7d70d8fe9ef5c47-1024x639.png)
When you click on one of the family previews, it will take you to a details page that provides previews for each of the fonts within that family, along with other information about each font. There is a default preview string, but you can enter your own, custom preview string as well.
![Image: https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/89198049bce5e58ebe7ff9b7e6497707-1024x573.png Font family d etails page showing default or custom previews for each font in that family](https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/89198049bce5e58ebe7ff9b7e6497707-1024x573.png)
For Web developers and advanced typographers that want to make use of OpenType Variable fonts, there is a separate variable-font details page that allows you to explore the continuous, variable-design capabilities of the font.
![](https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/8d7fd4a8fcbba5dbc57b27546008f7a7.gif)
Along with the new Settings experience, we are introducing fonts as a new content type in the Microsoft Store. To find them easily, there is a link from the Fonts page in Settings directly to the Fonts collection in the Store.
![Image: https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/f3d8d6f2af17ff9085e2e134744b3266-1024x597.png New Fonts collection available in the Microsoft Store](https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/f3d8d6f2af17ff9085e2e134744b3266-1024x597.png)
Note that you need to be running build 17040 or later to be able to install the font packages in the Store. For now, we have a small set of curated offerings from Microsoft’s library of fonts, but this will grow over time. Make sure to come back regularly to see what’s new!
Font Settings and Fonts in the Microsoft Store
Fonts are an important asset for your visual creativity. In this build, we’re introducing new experiences for managing your fonts in Settings, and for acquiring additional fonts from the Microsoft Store.
You may be familiar with the Fonts control panel, which you could use to see the fonts that are currently installed, or to install or uninstall fonts. That control panel hasn’t been able to show off newer font capabilities, such as color fonts or variable fonts, and a refresh has been needed. In Build 17083, we’re providing a new Fonts page within Settings.
![Image: https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/4b811fd3ed80360dc9d9a769cfa1939f-1024x639.png Fonts page in Settings showing a preview of each font family](https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/4b811fd3ed80360dc9d9a769cfa1939f-1024x639.png)
The initial page for Fonts settings provides a short preview of each font family. The previews use a variety of interesting strings that are selected to match the primary languages that each font family is designed for together with your own language settings. And if a font has multi-color capabilities built into it, then the preview will demonstrate this.
![Font previews reflect the primary languages a font is designed for as well as multi-color fonts](https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/5eae0481ed654570f7d70d8fe9ef5c47-1024x639.png)
When you click on one of the family previews, it will take you to a details page that provides previews for each of the fonts within that family, along with other information about each font. There is a default preview string, but you can enter your own, custom preview string as well.
![Image: https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/89198049bce5e58ebe7ff9b7e6497707-1024x573.png Font family d etails page showing default or custom previews for each font in that family](https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/89198049bce5e58ebe7ff9b7e6497707-1024x573.png)
For Web developers and advanced typographers that want to make use of OpenType Variable fonts, there is a separate variable-font details page that allows you to explore the continuous, variable-design capabilities of the font.
![](https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/8d7fd4a8fcbba5dbc57b27546008f7a7.gif)
Along with the new Settings experience, we are introducing fonts as a new content type in the Microsoft Store. To find them easily, there is a link from the Fonts page in Settings directly to the Fonts collection in the Store.
![Image: https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/f3d8d6f2af17ff9085e2e134744b3266-1024x597.png New Fonts collection available in the Microsoft Store](https://winblogs.azureedge.net/win/2018/01/f3d8d6f2af17ff9085e2e134744b3266-1024x597.png)
Note that you need to be running build 17040 or later to be able to install the font packages in the Store. For now, we have a small set of curated offerings from Microsoft’s library of fonts, but this will grow over time. Make sure to come back regularly to see what’s new!
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Comments
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I found five bugs for this particular UI3
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I hope the copyright info is more visible than in current Windows. Maybe it shows up in that metadata section in the third image when a font is selected.2
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