How to use Font base | a Free PC font manager for organizing fonts

How to use Font base | a Free PC font manager for organizing fonts

I basically explored all the font managers on the web until i came across the best fast free easy to use one.

There really isnt any tutorials on how to use fontbase font manager so I created this video tutorial as in depth overview on how to get started and use this program.

Ive also included some really great tips on how to transfer your pc fonts from the control panel to an existing file folder onto an external hard drive or cloud storage; so that it doesnt bog down your computer by storing it o n the c drive or in the main fontbase program folder.

I also show you how to link font base to your external hard drive so that all your fonts load easily. You will also receive tips on how to organize, make collections of your fonts and upload folders of fonts into collections as well as many other cool tips.

[AlecChalmers]

The pin function pins fonts you are looking at to the top so you can carry on searching and not lose ones you like the look of. Thanks for the video!

[innomind]

You missed the most important part on how to activate the fonts in FontBase so that they show up in Photoshop and every other Adobe app. Here's how: To activate all fonts in the collection, provided you already imported those font folders into Fontbase, simply click on the white circle next to "Inactive". This will move them all to "Active" and the white circle will become solid green next to "Active". Obviously if you have thousands of fonts, you might not go crazy and activate them all since it will bring your computer to a crawl. Use your judgement, be selective by creating collections that you can activate or deactivate based on need before launching Photoshop or the like.

[paularc]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I love this app, but there was so much I wasn't doing right. It's kind of frustrating that there is no manual or good tutorials for it. This was so helpful to me!

[bruce]

Thanks for taking your time and putting something together to give us a base how to use the software. It was a big help. Keep doing good work.

[onucVo]

Your tutorial was a big help for me to use and optimize Fontbase. Thanks a lot.
Just a small correction: At 7:30 you said, that you can only change the preview text in the settings. But in fact you can easily change the preview text temporarly by clicking the standard text at the bottom in the middle.

[nitareed]

I found this so helpful...Thank you. I did a few things different (because YOU provided the template) with this video). I thought I would share here in case it helps someone. I created TWO folders on my desktop...one FONTS...the other SYSTEM FONTS. I went to the website you linked to and downloaded the system fonts in the SYSTEM FONTS folder I made on my desktop. I the went and copied my fonts (control panel > appearance...>fonts). I should note that I have a little over 2, 900 fonts. I copied by selecting "select all". I then right clicked and chose copy. I then pasted all the fonts into the FONTS folder I made on my desktop. I confirmed that all fonts were in the two folders I made. Once I did that, I deleted all the fonts in the system folder (control panel), NOTE: Some fonts could not be deleted (pop-up message said "protected system fonts". I then copied all the fonts in the SYSTEM FONTS folder on my desktop. I pasted those fonts in the system folder (control panel). NOTE: I felt more secure having the system fonts secured prior to deleting in control panel. I then created a FONTS folder on Google Drive and copied all the fonts from my FONTS folder on my desktop into the Google Drive folder. Google Drive provides 15G cloud storage for free. I had already downloaded fontbase per your guidance.. I went into fontbase settings and changed "root folder" to the Google Drive folder FONTS. The fonts loaded from Google Drive to my fontbase program. I proceeded to make "collections" and dragged and dropped fonts into the "collection" I wanted...sometimes more than one "collection" for the same font. I am currently on "C" fonts...going to take a while lol...can't imagine if I'd had 11, 000 fonts! I deleted the 2 folders (FONTS and SYSTEM FONTS) on my desktop. Hope someone finds this useful.

[mikearst]

I know it's been a long time since anyone commented but maybe some of what’s in this comment will be useful. I agree that the program can be difficult to figure out and there's so little documentation. That aside I did get it working. So here are a few things I ran across or figured out:

Working with collections that you create can be easier than it looks at first. You can select more than one font at a time to speed up adding them to a collection.

Clicking the font's name is likely to open its details page. So instead, click within the line of sample text for that font. You'll know it's selected when the font's name turns blue. To de-select it, on a Windows machine hold down the CONTROL key and click the font's sample text line.
(COMMAND key on the Mac?)

To select several fonts _dis_ continuously, hold down CONTROL as you click fonts to select them. To select a _continuous_ range of fonts: Select the first one, go to the line containing the last font you want to select, hold down SHIFT, and click within the sample text again.

If multiple fonts are selected, hover the mouse over one of them, then drag the pointer over the top of the collection name. This adds _all_ of the selected fonts to the collection. If any of the names you selected are actually a font _family_ the entire family is dragged into the collection.

As for the colored squares that appear to the left of each font name or font family name, as far as I can tell the color scheme is: Black open square: font is not activated. Green closed square: font is activated or entire font family is activated. Green _open_ square: some fonts within the font family are activated and others aren't.

I haven't figured out why some of those icons are dots instead of squares. At first I thought a dot meant "OTF" font but this doesn't seem to be the case.

[Noone-]

Thank you for your time in making this tutorial.
I accidentally found out that if the FontBase folder has subfolders, it will automatically be included in the FOLDERS panel. I.e. I made a sub folder called, Whiteboard fonts and Cursive fonts. These 2 folders appeared in the FOLDERS panel include the fonts.

[shahidbelawala]

Thank you for sharing such useful tips.

[kailabeattie]

Thanks for this video! If I move all the fonts off my PC onto a hard-drive, will my Microsoft programs also access them from fontbase?

[juanmonge]

thanks for the tutorial, i got a question. how can i use the fonts in adobe software without installing on my pc?

[mguerra]

Hi! I've just found your video yesterday, but I'm only commenting today, aahahah! The tip I can give you now, without reading the comments below, is that instead of changing the default text in the options menu, you can came to the bottom of the page/list and change there the text for that use...


Despite that, thanks for the tutorial!!!

[markchand]

Thanks a bunch. I was wondering how I can use my fonts without installing them all... thanks for sharing.

[Kridian]

I'm a font hoarder! Oh, and I _luuuv_ you! 🤓

[itstjmcguckin]

Are you allowed to use this program between a team of people and all have access to the same fonts?

[lisawinward]

Where do I type in my phrase versus the standard phrase (quick brown fox)....Thanks for the help

[howardmathews]

Could you please suggest a font viewer that actually views system fonts? cause FontBase doesn't do that, which is very wierd.

[tomas.f.e.e.d]

Hi! thanks for you video! it look really nice so i downloaded! the thing is that i have already installed my fonts before fontbase, then i drag and drop the folder were i keep them all but i think im doing something wrong because i have a list in the software of all my fonts actually working but they appear inactivated in the program, when i click the spot to activate, the icon remains rolling and never turn green (actiated), so i cant really manage my fonts from there

[raskarjr]

Thank you, I could barely understand anything when I used the app.

[prodbyurod]

after changing the root folder to the folder with my fonts, they didnt show up in the program. Also, do i have to uninstall the fonts in order to be able to activate and deactivate them?