Can't delete or deactivate surplus fonts from macOS 15.x Font Book

[pm-r]

I have far too many fonts in my applications drop-down font menus and I would like to reduce the number to a reasonable more useful number.

It sounds so simple according to Apples support of what to do, but unfortunately, it doesn't work as there is no Delete option and the Deactivate option under the Edit menu is greyed out. So how is one supposed to reduce the number of fonts that are selling?

Does the admin use her then drag out the fonts from the appropriate system Library folder under penalty of Apple's death warnings if one is to do so?

Apples instructions seem pretty simple, but unfortunately do not exist on my iMac running macOS 15.X Sequoia:

Font Book User Guide
macOS Sequoia 15

Table of Contents
Remove, deactivate, or activate fonts in Font Book on Mac
When you remove fonts from your Mac, they aren’t available in Font Book or in the Fonts window. If you don’t want to remove a font, you can deactivate it (or turn it off)—deactivated fonts remain on your Mac, but appear dimmed in the Fonts window. If you change your mind later, you can activate (or turn on) the fonts again.

Important: You can’t remove or deactivate system fonts. See the Apple Support article Fonts included with macOS Sequoia.


Remove fonts
In the Font Book app on your Mac, select one or more fonts, then press Delete.

Click Remove Fonts or Remove Non-System Fonts to confirm.

Removed fonts are moved to the Trash.

I couldn't find any further help at either Apple site or Googling the 'net.

I haven't tried removing any surplus fonts from their particular font folder as when I have tried anything similar it says I am not allowed to do so even as an admin user. Apple has really locked down its macOS, but the number of fonts existing currently makes a stupid overly long drop-down list and is quite unnecessary as far as I am concerned. :-(





- Patrick
=======

 

[MacInWin]

Important: You can’t remove or deactivate system fonts

Did you see that line in the document?

 

[Rod]

Worth watching this video, I did. Click watch on YouTube

 

[pm-r]

Did you see that line in the document?

Yes, I saw that, and it seemed to be implying that you couldn't do so using Font Book.app but I was wondering if any members knew of a different method to delete many of these Surplus fonts.

I really do not need or want 91 system fonts cluttering up my application's drop-down font menu and especially a good percentage of which I can't even read the bloody language or their alphabet.

It seems that Root user has lost nearly all if not all modifications it used to be able to do in previous macOS apps.

Worth watching this video

Basically just a brief basic overview of how Font Book works and how Apple expects it to be used. No modifications allowed but not mentioned.


PS: has anyone looked at the list of fonts that Apple could install on a user's computer running macOS 15.x? Mind boggling, and many of those could be considered as System fonts:

Fonts included with macOS Sequoia

Fonts included with macOS Sequoia - Apple Support (CA)

macOS Sequoia comes with these built-in and downloadable typefaces.

support.apple.com

Wow...




- Patrick
=======

 

[MacInWin]

Yes, I saw that, and it seemed to be implying that you couldn't do so using Font Book.app but I was wondering if any members knew of a different method to delete many of these Surplus fonts.

I really do not need or want 91 system fonts cluttering up my application's drop-down font menu and especially a good percentage of which I can't even read the bloody language or their alphabet.

It seems that Root user has lost nearly all if not all modifications it used to be able to do in previous macOS apps.

Nothing on the /System drive is able to be changed by the user. Nothing. In fact, the way the Mx Mac boots is that the entire OS is walled off in a read-only, encrypted secure enclave that is on a Volume that is unvisible to the user, then a copy is made to the drive the User can see, but then a snapshot is taken of that copy and the system boots from that snapshot. As part of that process, hashes are calculated of the secure enclave, the copy of it, and the snapshot. If the hashes don't match the hash that Apple has created for that particular version, the entire system is reinstalled as part of the boot process. If the snapshot is bad, but the other two are good, a new snapshot is created. If the snapshot matches the copy, but the copy is bad, a new copy is made and a new snapshot is taken at boot time. So even if it were possible to erase/delete/modify the system font files or folders, they would be immediately restored at the next boot.

And yes, Root has no modifcation authority in the SSV where the originals are kept.

Apple responded to the bad guys who found ways to embed malware in fonts, images, kexts, etc. And the result was a much more controlled /System folder and no user access to the system files. If you want to yell about it, yell at the bad guys who made it necessary, not at Apple.

 

[pm-r]

Nothing on the /System drive is able to be changed by the user. Nothing.

Thanks, Jake. I appreciate your information. I assumed something similar would occur with any unofficial modification of macOS and/or its files and folders.

However, I would have expected Apple to allow some user interaction and modifications without jeopardizing its OS security setup.




- Patrick
=======

 

[MacInWin]

However, I would have expected Apple to allow some user interaction and modifications without jeopardizing its OS security setup.

The problem is that anything a user can do, a bad actor can do, and maybe more by gaining acess through the "door" for the user. Apple has taken the "secure" approach. Frankly, they don't have much choice in the matter given some of the lawsuits that have resulted from unauthorized activities of bad guys being blamed on the technology providers.