Fix Bad Font Rendering on Arch Linux

Intro

When I use Arch Linux, I have a problem with font rendering in Firefox and other applications. The font is shown as boxes. This is because the font is not installed or not configured correctly. In this article, I will show you how to fix this problem.

Steps

1. Install Required Fonts

$ sudo pacman -S noto-fonts noto-fonts-extra noto-fonts-emoji noto-fonts-cjk ttf-dejavu ttf-liberation

2. Refresh font cache

Pacman has already done this for you, but you can do it manually if you want.

$ fc-cache -f -v

This command will refresh the font cache. -f is to force the regeneration of the cache. -v is to show the progress.

3. Restart Firefox or other applications

After you have done the above steps, you should restart Firefox or other applications to see the changes.

4. (Optional) Change font settings in Firefox

If you still have problems with font rendering in Firefox, you can change the font settings in Firefox.

1. Open Firefox

2. Go to Settings

3. Search for `fonts` or just scroll down to the `Fonts` section

You can use the Default (DejaVu) or use the Noto fonts.

4. Advanced settings

Make sure you check the Allow pages to choose their own fonts, instead of your selections above option to let the websites use their own fonts.

Summary

Now you have fixed the font rendering problem in Firefox and other applications on Arch Linux. Here are some before and after screenshots.

Firefox

Discord

I hope this article helps you fix the font rendering problem on Arch Linux. You can also test the font rendering on this website: