Fonts that don't exist

[kevindrewster]

When selecting a font to use, the "character" toolbox has a dropdown list of all available fonts. Some of the fonts on this list, however, do not exist. Sometimes, it lets me choose the font, only to put a pink box around my text, indicating the font is not installed. Some the program just won't let me select the font at all. I think the issue came from opening files created by other people. These files contained fonts I did not have, so I simply chose a new font for them. But now, any new document still has these nonexistent fonts as options. Most of these fonts were either bootlegged or cost money, so I don't want to install them onto my computer. What I want is to remove them from Illustrator's list of available fonts. These fonts are not in my Font Book, so I can't make any changes there. And the only thing I can find to do in Illustrator is to "Resolve Missing Fonts," which only lets me install the missing font (again, this is not what I want to do). Any ideas on how do deal with this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Om Nath Jha]

Hi Kevin,

Illustrator font list shows the fonts from the document as well. However if those are missing fonts, as you mentioned, you won't be able to use them and it will give the pink/missing font symptom. However these fonts should disappear once your close Illustrator and that document and re launch it. If that is not happening, one way is to reset the Illustrator preferences and check.

For details, see: How to set preferences in Illustrator

Regards,

Om

[kevindrewster]

Closing everything and quitting illustrator doesn't do anything. When I open it up with a new document, those missing fonts are still included in my list. I know how to adjust my preferences, but I don't see any preferences that apply, and I don't see anything that allows me to reset everything to some sort of default.

[Mike_Gondek]

Hi Kevin,

If the missing fonts are still in your list, your font cache may have become corrupted. The way to reset your font cache depends on what font management utilities you use or operating system.

The files from you coworker would be much more useful if you had the fonts. The company you work for shoddy give you access to those fonts, and then those files would be much more useful.

[kevindrewster]

Yeah, that's not really how things work at my job. I design fake product labels to print out and stick on tv show props. No one but me has access to the files I make, and I'm free to use whatever fonts I want. My predecessor did the same thing, but she downloaded several fonts from various sites online. I don't even have to use any of her designs, but I choose to because it makes my job easier, sometimes. And like I said, I just choose a different font from the ones I have. But her fonts still appear in my list.

I'd be happy to reset my font cache. I use OS X (El Capitan). And I have no idea what font management utilities I might have.

[Mike_Gondek]

You can use font nuke https://www.jamapi.com/products/fontnuke/ .

If you do not plan on getting ridd of the missing font errors, then you may just want to live with them and not choose the ones with diamonds when assigning fonts. Check out the find font panel, as that  is very helpful in globally reassigning fonts. 

Unfortunately the find font window does not resize anymore since about CC2015, but if  @Ohmanth could mention that to the development team would be sincerely appreciated to get that functionality.back

[Om Nath Jha]

Hi Mike,

I'll surely let the development team about  this feedback and check if we can get the old functionality back.

Regards,

Om

[Mike_Gondek]

Where are you getting these files you are opening? The people should be outlining the fonts prior to sending to you.

When you open a file and see

You will then see a diamond after the name, which tells you that font is not available.

Even if you close all your open documents and create a new one you will see that font. To get rid of this you need to as  Om mentioned quit Illustrator.

[kevindrewster]

The files mostly come from coworkers. I took over doing graphic design after my friend got promoted. She gave me all her files, since we regularly use the same designs, or variants thereof. And unless we're sending something out to be printed, we typically avoid outlining fonts, because I often have to change what the text says.

As far as quitting illustrator, that doesn't help. The fonts with the diamonds still appear in my list. There are also some missing fonts that do not have diamonds, but these are impossible to click on.

[LoganHe]

If you have not saved the project on your own (the same) computer, it could be just the naming, check your fonts in illustrator and see if you have the same font with a slightly different name, that could be the reason.