Change default System Font in OS X?

patchoulipatchouli
Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
...or at least I think it's the system font?! How do you change the overall fonts in OS X? The one I see is a horrible, small, spaced out or squished together font and it's driving me mad! It's the default font for the OS Help program (which did not help me btw), and many other programs show this horrible font as well. How do I get rid of it? I went through the System Prefferences as well as each program's preferences and I can only change it at certain levels, but not in the OS (at all). I am not talking about icon text and fonts that are normal looking.



Please help! It's turuly driving me batty. Thanks!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    the installerthe installer Posts: 910member
    I read the other day that you can't. Period. And that truly sucks, especially considering what a horrible font it is



    Thank you Steve.



    - T.I.
  • Reply 2 of 12
    junkyard dawgjunkyard dawg Posts: 2,801member
    I love the system font in OS X, it looks gorgeous on my system.



    But if you want to change it, then use "TinkerTool". It is a system preference panel that gives many options for customizing OS X, including making changes to the system and application fonts.



    <a href="http://www.bresink.de/osx/TinkerTool2.html"; target="_blank">http://www.bresink.de/osx/TinkerTool2.html</a>;



    Enjoy!



  • Reply 3 of 12
    the installerthe installer Posts: 910member
    [quote]Originally posted by Junkyard Dawg:

    <strong>I love the system font in OS X, it looks gorgeous on my system.



    But if you want to change it, then use "TinkerTool". It is a system preference panel that gives many options for customizing OS X, including making changes to the system and application fonts.



    <a href="http://www.bresink.de/osx/TinkerTool2.html"; target="_blank">http://www.bresink.de/osx/TinkerTool2.html</a>;



    Enjoy!



    </strong><hr></blockquote>But you cannot change the font in the Menu Bar, more's the pity.



    - T.I.
  • Reply 4 of 12
    junkyard dawgjunkyard dawg Posts: 2,801member
    Oh yeah, I forgot about that, since I don't use it. What's wrong with the menu bar font?
  • Reply 5 of 12
    patchoulipatchouli Posts: 402member
    [quote]Originally posted by Junkyard Dawg:

    [QB]I love the system font in OS X, it looks gorgeous on my system.<hr></blockquote>



    Yes, for the most part the OS X fonts are great, but I am talking about another font. The font that is default for the IE5 (address bar only) and many other programs (especially where you have to fill in your name/password, etc.) I don't know the name of this font and I don't know where the option is on this system to change it! I remember my older Mac at work had it and I hated it then too! I've chosen different fonts in many programs - but this one still seems to pop on me!



    Here is an example of it:



  • Reply 6 of 12
    daverdaver Posts: 496member
    That font you can't stand is called Geneva, and it's been around since 1984. OS X has nothing to do with it... especially in Carbon apps like IE.
  • Reply 7 of 12
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    There is no option to change the font in the example you gave because it is hard-coded in that program. Lots of programs do that were the interface is concerned so people can't change it and accidentally "uglify" the interface.
  • Reply 8 of 12
    patchoulipatchouli Posts: 402member
    Yeah well, 'Geneva' is a horror! I don't care how long it's been around, someone please put it out of it's misery!



    I hate when programs get all natzi and won't let you change certain options. In a case like this, they've 'uglified' the program themselves! Sweet irony.



    Why on earth do SO MANY Mac programs have this most undesirable font 'Geneva' as their unchangeable default? Why not Tahoma, Ariel, or another more rounded and easier flowing font? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">
  • Reply 9 of 12
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    I really don't understand why you dislike Geneva so much. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> Are you new to using Macs? Geneva has been used as the main, default font in apps since the dawn of the Macintosh in '84 (though the "System" font was Chicago). I haven't known anyone to ever have a problem with it. I've always liked little ol' Geneva as a clean, minimalist font.



    Here's a bit for Classic buffs. Did you know that Geneva is built into the OS? If you somehow remove all fonts from the System Folder, all text will be displayed in a bitmapped form of Geneva.



    [ 03-17-2002: Message edited by: starfleetX ]</p>
  • Reply 10 of 12
    patchoulipatchouli Posts: 402member
    I'm not really new to using Macs. I had a Color Classic II running system 7 in 95-97 and at work I had a Quadra up to OS 8 (I think it was 8 any way). My sister had the Bondi iMac from OS 8 through OS 9. So I am not new to the Mac world, just rusty (however, I am complete new to OS X ? which is all I use on my Mac).



    So yes, I realize this font has been around for a while and have noticed it SO many times before (but really, that doesn?t make it nice!) I just opened Excel to see if it was in fact Geneva - and it is! But, I came to the conclusion that only at a small pitch is where I hate it. It's so spaced out and tiny and looks like a completely different font the way developers use it. That's the way many programs use it (and you can't make it bigger). Geneva at size 13 and higher is great. So, I guess it's the unchangeable size that bugs me.



    BTW, I always disliked 'Chicago' as well! :o Cool font, but too bold and caps for a system font. The current OS X system font is great through.





    ...and they always use the small one!



    [ 03-17-2002: Message edited by: Patchouli ]</p>
  • Reply 11 of 12
    junkyard dawgjunkyard dawg Posts: 2,801member
    If you have a problem with IE5 fonts, then give Omniweb a try, it's MUCH better than IE5, and FASTER as well.



    Check out the latest sneakypeak version of 4.1 here:



    <a href="http://www.omnigroup.com/ftp/pub/software/MacOSX/.sneakypeek/releases/"; target="_blank">http://www.omnigroup.com/ftp/pub/software/MacOSX/.sneakypeek/releases/</a>;



    Enjoy!
  • Reply 12 of 12
    emaneman Posts: 7,204member
    [quote]Originally posted by Junkyard Dawg:

    <strong>If you have a problem with IE5 fonts, then give Omniweb a try, it's MUCH better than IE5, and FASTER as well.



    Check out the latest sneakypeak version of 4.1 here:



    <a href="http://www.omnigroup.com/ftp/pub/software/MacOSX/.sneakypeek/releases/"; target="_blank">http://www.omnigroup.com/ftp/pub/software/MacOSX/.sneakypeek/releases/</a>;



    Enjoy!</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I like OmniWeb, but I don't understand why people always say how it's faster than IE. It might be a drop faster, but not much. I also like the IE fonts better than OmniWeb's. The only browser for OS X that I've used that's really fast is Mozilla.
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