Changing the Icon Title Size/Font for Windows 3.1 (84169)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows 3.11
  • Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.11
This article was previously published under Q84169

SUMMARY

Microsoft Windows version 3.1 supplies an easy method for changing the font style, size, and boldness of icons. This method allows you to modify the titles below icons if they appears small or difficult to read. (Note that this procedure works for font files with a .FON extension only.)

These modifications can be made in the WIN.INI file under the [Desktop] section.

MORE INFORMATION

The following three settings can be added to the [Desktop] section of the WIN.INI file to change the font style, size, and boldness of titles below the desktop icons:

  • IconTitleFaceName=<FontName> 
          Default:  MS Sans Serif
      Purpose:  This entry specifies the font used to display
                icon titles.
    NOTE: <FontName> is the name of the system font in Windows 3.1, not the font filename, a TrueType font (for example, Arial), a Vector font (for example, Modern), or a Raster font (for example, Courier).
  • IconTitleSize=<number> 
          Default:  8
      Purpose:  This entry specifies the size of the font used to
                display icon titles.
  • IconTitleStyle=<0-or-1> 
          Default:  0
      Purpose:  This entry specifies whether the icon title text should be
                bold. When the value is set to 1, the icon title text is
                bold. When the value is set to 0, the icon title appears as
                regular text.
Not all fonts set with IconTitleFaceName change the icon title to the expected font. Of the fonts supplied with Windows 3.1, the bold, italic, and bold italic TrueType fonts do not display when set with this switch. The TrueType font Wingdings, and the Vector fonts, Modern, Roman, and Script do not display either.

Steps to Edit the WIN.INI File

  1. Open the WIN.INI file in Notepad.
  2. Scroll down to the [Desktop] section.
  3. Add the following lines (entries are not case sensitive): 
          IconTitleFaceName=Courier
      IconTitleSize=10
    This example changes the font to Courier and the title size to 10 point.
For more information, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

raster and vector and fonts and windows

-or-

IconVerticalSpacing and SystemFont and windows

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Windows Resource Kit," version 3.1, page 169
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/25/2003
Keywords:KB84169
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.