There is no doubt, Mac OS and Linux font smoothing functionality is better than Windows. The text in Mac or Linux looks better and smooth compared to Windows OS. Mac and Linux fonts are easier to read and easy on eyes than Windows fonts.
Although Microsoft introduced Clear Type font smoothing in Windows but sometimes a few new fonts such as Segoe UI become hard to read and look too much sharp on screen.
Wouldn't it be great if we could get Mac and Linux style font smoothing in Windows? Today in this topic, we are going to share 2 free software which can bring Mac and Linux like font smoothing in Windows. These freeware can be considered as a replacement of the default font rendering service in Windows. These software render Windows fonts smoothly which makes them easier to read and look nice on screen.
Both these freeware are based on the good old GDI++ project which was started by a Japanese developer in September 2006 but was suspended very soon in the same month.
Since the development of GDI++ was discontinued by the developer, a few other developers started working on the same source code and released new improved versions of the same FreeType font smoothing functionality which was used by GDI++. These new software provide improved performance and better compatibility for all Windows versions.
So without wasting time, lets share these free software which will help you in making Windows fonts look-like Mac OS and Linux fonts as shown in following image:
These 2 freeware are:
- gdipp
- mactype
Installation of both software is easy. Simply follow the instructions given by the setup wizard and complete the installation process.
gdipp is easier to use compared to mactype and you don't need to customize any setting in gdipp. It automatically starts its service and brings Mac and Linux like font smoothing in Windows immediately just after the installation.
On the other hand, mactype is highly customizable. It comes with many built-in and pre-configured font smoothing profiles. You can select any of the given profiles or you can also create your own profile. You'll need to give each profile a try as different font profiles will work differently depending upon the computer screen and its resolution.
You can download both of them using following links:
Both of these software work perfectly in 32-bit and 64-bit Windows editions.
If you give them a try, feel free to share your experience and feedback in your comment. Do you know any other similar software, please let us know...
Posted by: Vishal Gupta | Categories: Software
Eric
I Installed mactype but still can't see a thing, do I need to restart?
VG
^^ Run it from Desktop or Programs list and apply a profile.
Eric
Yeah it's done now, but I had to click on Process manager to get it working, it was disabled by default, Thanks it's looking good now
Lester
YES!! One more thing to add to my own manual Windows Look-alike Mac pack!! Thanks Vishal!
Frozz
Hi Vishal,
I have been using GDIPP for some time, I think I will give "mactype" a try.
Thank you!
Yuki
Hi VG, I got a little problem in gdipp. Some text in some websites like Youtube got kinda messed up. Any workaround with this?
Yukii~ :>
Ed
Thanks Vishal!, I'm using mactype on XP and it works really well, I knew about gdipp but I don't like it because it isn't very customizable (at least for the average user), but mactype is new to me and it works. Thanks again.
Ashish
GDIPP crashes whenever I try to open windows font folder..
alex
good apps its freaking weird cause i had a hd font installed now i have this kinda blurry one so its strange
nikhil
how is the performance for LCD screens.
pixelized Fonts were the only reason i am not using LCD!!!!
sasja
nice thing!
by the way:
The arial font is unclear, this is what's going on clear >> dear.
NSDCars5
Off-topic curious question VG, how many PC's do you have?
VG
^^ Lots of. I have 1 Desktop PC, 2 laptops, 1 tablet, 1 netbook, 2 Android smartphones and 1 Samsung Note. :D
@nikhil
It looks great on LCD.
@Yuki
No idea. You can try to change fonts using browser settings.
Ayoub Kaanich
gdipp is buggy with Arabic fonts and it makes a lot of fonts look foggy for me
Manav Sharma
Thanks for introducing there great tools!