Starting to create documents with say with Libre Office or any other such editor/word processor. I see lots of Fonts I do not recognise or use. I have my own range of fonts. The core come from MS such as Arial (very common). Doesn't come with Linux Mint. Ok I have all these fonts in TT format generallly. So I loaded the Font Manager from Software Manager - the one that says Font application for the GNOME desktop. I adds fonts OK. So then I tried to use to remove some of the Fonts I don't want. I go through the deletion process but they are still there. Maybe I need to have root authority such as you get with SUDO and adding the root password. I am pretty knew to LINUX and am trying to go over from MS Windows. I was trainded on Sun Solaris so I was many years ago a UNIX administrator. Then my company decided to go over to the mighty blue MS !! I have been retired some years. But I like UNIX feel comfortable with it. Maybe the fonts are stored somewhere and I can just delete them (as I do with Windows). Unless of course they are system required. But not all these fonts with LInux can be system essential. I leave the umbunto ones etc...
Adding & Removing Fonts with Font Manager
- Thread starter grahamm7
- Start date
System fonts by default come in packages, so if you wish to delete them, the simplest way is to delete the package. For example these are the fonts on a machine here:
One can introduce individual fonts outside a package, but to remove an individual font which was installed from a package without removing the whole package may create an anomaly for the package management system. I guess that the package manager would handle it well, but I've never messed with it that way.
On the matter of removal, for example, the fonts-noto-extra package is a massive package of over 300MB which Libreoffice pulls in by default. The package contains fonts of numerous languages, which one can see if they list the files in the package. It's of no use to me. I have removed it, but the problem is that Libreoffice restores it on each upgrade. I guess I could configure upgrading to not reintroduce the package, but I haven't bothered and so it sits uselessly on my filesystem. If one is not upgrading however, it's simple to have it removed and live without it and regain the space on the filesystem. In my case, with terabyte storage, it's not an issue to leave it. YMMV.
Code:
fonts-crosextra-caladea
fonts-crosextra-carlito
fonts-dejavu-core
fonts-dejavu-extra
fonts-dejavu
fonts-droid-fallback
fonts-lato
fonts-liberation2
fonts-liberation
fonts-linuxlibertine
fonts-lmodern
fonts-lyx
fonts-noto-core
fonts-noto-extra
fonts-noto-mono
fonts-noto-ui-core
fonts-opensymbol
fonts-quicksand
fonts-sil-gentium-basic
fonts-sil-gentium
fonts-symbola
fonts-urw-base35
fonts-vlgothicOne can introduce individual fonts outside a package, but to remove an individual font which was installed from a package without removing the whole package may create an anomaly for the package management system. I guess that the package manager would handle it well, but I've never messed with it that way.
On the matter of removal, for example, the fonts-noto-extra package is a massive package of over 300MB which Libreoffice pulls in by default. The package contains fonts of numerous languages, which one can see if they list the files in the package. It's of no use to me. I have removed it, but the problem is that Libreoffice restores it on each upgrade. I guess I could configure upgrading to not reintroduce the package, but I haven't bothered and so it sits uselessly on my filesystem. If one is not upgrading however, it's simple to have it removed and live without it and regain the space on the filesystem. In my case, with terabyte storage, it's not an issue to leave it. YMMV.
wendy-lebaron
Active Member
On KDE cannot delete the "Noto" fonts in particular which is a very irritating and unnecessary dependency that was created. I want to be completely free from them, but it means I cannot choose that desktop environment. I was able to remove the "Noto" fonts from Manjaro XFCE but it left me without wallpaper and with few icons: the audio volume indicator is a "question mark" icon now, although I chose the theme taken from elementary OS.
There are other examples of hard-coded insolence, for example Thunar installed on a main desktop which is not XFCE. Always uses Cantarell out of GNOME. It looks nice but on GNOME, not another desktop.
Libre Office is one of the most outrageous programs in existence. On Debian GNOME if that is asked purged, the desktop stops functioning properly. I desired much much more to remove GNOME Software like I could on other distributions but purging that asked also to remove "gnome-shell", "gnome-desktop", "mutter" -- well you get the idea. On Spiral Linux KDE I wanted to be done with VLC entirely, but with the same threat to trash the entire desktop. I don't think "libvlc" is utilized that much by other applications.
I have noticed that Debian (with GNOME) and Manjaro tie dependencies to fonts and to other things so the entire desktop could be trashed if the user becomes happy deleting bloat that he/she doesn't want but those organizations insist on.
There are other examples of hard-coded insolence, for example Thunar installed on a main desktop which is not XFCE. Always uses Cantarell out of GNOME. It looks nice but on GNOME, not another desktop.
Libre Office is one of the most outrageous programs in existence. On Debian GNOME if that is asked purged, the desktop stops functioning properly. I desired much much more to remove GNOME Software like I could on other distributions but purging that asked also to remove "gnome-shell", "gnome-desktop", "mutter" -- well you get the idea. On Spiral Linux KDE I wanted to be done with VLC entirely, but with the same threat to trash the entire desktop. I don't think "libvlc" is utilized that much by other applications.
I have noticed that Debian (with GNOME) and Manjaro tie dependencies to fonts and to other things so the entire desktop could be trashed if the user becomes happy deleting bloat that he/she doesn't want but those organizations insist on.
G'day @grahamm7 - which Linux Mint are you using? For example Linux Mint 21.1 'Vera' Cinnamon.
If you are not sure, go to start menu and type welcome and it will be on the bottom right of the popup window.
@wendy-lebaron if you have a question on removal of VLC that is worth a separate thread, but off topic here.
Cheers
Wizard
If you are not sure, go to start menu and type welcome and it will be on the bottom right of the popup window.
@wendy-lebaron if you have a question on removal of VLC that is worth a separate thread, but off topic here.
Cheers
Wizard
Being new to the forum I should have realised that it would be helpful to give useful information. I have now put this in a text file so I can add to each post. Here it is:
OS: Linux Mint 21.1 Cinamon; Cinamon Version: 5.6.8; CPU: Intel i5-6200; Memory: 8Gb; Drive: 100Gb (SSD); Graphics: Intel Skylake GT2; Manf: Lenovo;Model: Thinkpad L560;
So how can you un-install a font or font package at command level rather than me using one of the Font Managers provided via Software manager. Might be useful to know where Linux stores all the fonts. I know where Windows stores the fonts and I sometimes just delete one or two (carefully as some or system required). But thanks for your helpful reply.
OS: Linux Mint 21.1 Cinamon; Cinamon Version: 5.6.8; CPU: Intel i5-6200; Memory: 8Gb; Drive: 100Gb (SSD); Graphics: Intel Skylake GT2; Manf: Lenovo;Model: Thinkpad L560;
So how can you un-install a font or font package at command level rather than me using one of the Font Managers provided via Software manager. Might be useful to know where Linux stores all the fonts. I know where Windows stores the fonts and I sometimes just delete one or two (carefully as some or system required). But thanks for your helpful reply.
For brevity, Graham, I'll give you one you can try for the Noto, copy and paste it into your Terminal.
I would advocate taking a Timeshift snapshot first, it's like Windows Restore but better.
The command I used in my this afternoon is
Code:
sudo dpkg --list |awk '/fonts-noto/{print $2}' | sudo xargs dpkg --removeI did this in your Cinnamon, and also in Mint's Xfce and MATE desktops, which I have in my stable, works fine and does not impact anything else.
Below are a couple of screenshots taken from Libre Office, a before and after
BEFORE
and
AFTER
I tried that GNOME font-manager and found it very clunky, but maybe I was not holding my mouth the right way.
Cheers
Wizard
Gotta look after our Seniors, mate.
Although you are not the eldest, we have at least one aged 89.
I'm only a not so sprightly (nearly) 66.
Later, tea is calling me to make it.
Chris
Although you are not the eldest, we have at least one aged 89.
I'm only a not so sprightly (nearly) 66.
Later, tea is calling me to make it.
Chris
When I look in the fonts folder /user/shared/fonts ... /noto there are no fonts in /noto.
However in Libre Office I am still seeing listed all the foreign language fonts I don't want that I assume came with Libre.
I had this argument aka Microsoft. One guru said the fonts don't take up much room so why bother to remove. But when I using Libre Office (or say MS Word) it is annoying having to scroll down loads of fonts you don't use. I find it neater to have the essential OS fonts (if any). The standard fonts that come with say MS Windows (that many people use) but then just have the additional fonts that I use. I will keep playing with tidying up the fonts. But great so far.
However in Libre Office I am still seeing listed all the foreign language fonts I don't want that I assume came with Libre.
I had this argument aka Microsoft. One guru said the fonts don't take up much room so why bother to remove. But when I using Libre Office (or say MS Word) it is annoying having to scroll down loads of fonts you don't use. I find it neater to have the essential OS fonts (if any). The standard fonts that come with say MS Windows (that many people use) but then just have the additional fonts that I use. I will keep playing with tidying up the fonts. But great so far.
The noto fonts are usually in /usr/share/fonts/truetype/noto/. The "room" they take is:
Code:
[flip@flop /usr/share/fonts/truetype/noto]$ du -sh .
377MThe wiz's command in post #6 should delete the noto fonts if that's what you'd like to do.
In any case, linux distributions have fonts, and will install fonts, that have very close resemblances to MS fonts, and so similar in many cases that it's not so easy for the eye to differentiate them at a glance. YMMV.
As someone who remembers when fonts used to be sold on floppy disks, I would say yes. ;-)
@grahamm7 - Mate here's a useful one.
My Google search keywords were
linux libre office remove font packages
(always good idea to put linux at the beginning, when searching on a cross-platform app such as Libre Office)
That lead me to
https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=378086
which in turn led me to
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/clean-mint.html#ID8
that latter link brings you in halfway down a page about cleaning Mint. The section is headed
I first took an incremental snapshot with Timeshift to supplement a full one I already had of Mint Vera Cinnamon, and placed the comment on it
"incremental snapshot (safety) before font removal"
I then followed the Linux Tips Project destructions (my late wife and I used to say this of electrical appliance user manuals) and
the end result was a significant de-cluttering of my Libre Office Writer fonts dropdown list.
Hope this helps.
Wizard
My Google search keywords were
linux libre office remove font packages
(always good idea to put linux at the beginning, when searching on a cross-platform app such as Libre Office)
That lead me to
https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=378086
which in turn led me to
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/clean-mint.html#ID8
that latter link brings you in halfway down a page about cleaning Mint. The section is headed
Remove most Asian fonts
... but the rest of the article may be worth a read as well.I first took an incremental snapshot with Timeshift to supplement a full one I already had of Mint Vera Cinnamon, and placed the comment on it
"incremental snapshot (safety) before font removal"
I then followed the Linux Tips Project destructions (my late wife and I used to say this of electrical appliance user manuals) and
the end result was a significant de-cluttering of my Libre Office Writer fonts dropdown list.
Hope this helps.
Wizard
