Windows’ font renderer has been broken for 4 years and Microsoft doesn’t seem to care. ClearType, which is supposed to make fonts in Windows operating systems look nicer, has not been working properly since the 1903 update in May 2019. This issue also affects Windows 11 as it inherited the broken font renderer.
This problem mainly affects people who own OLED displays and are color sensitive. Since 2022, OLED technology has been on the rise in desktop PCs and notebooks. However, under Windows, OLEDs display fonts in color, which is not what they are supposed to do. Microsoft does not seem interested in addressing this issue.
Attempts to contact someone from the typography team at Microsoft in March 2023 were unsuccessful. The lack of response or attention to this problem is concerning.
ClearType relies on subpixel rendering to improve font display. It smooths out curves in letters, making them more pleasing to the eye. However, when the subpixel arrangement deviates from the standard, such as with OLED monitors and TVs, the text can become colorful instead of being black. This can be bothersome for those who are sensitive to color variations.
In Windows 10 and Windows 11, Microsoft hides the ClearType settings behind a five-step dialog. However, since the 1903 update, steps 3 to 5 no longer have any effect. This becomes problematic, especially for OLED displays where grayscale rendering and font thickness adjustments are crucial.
There are workarounds for this issue, such as turning off ClearType in Windows 11. However, this can result in poor font rendering and the need for additional tools, like BetterClearTypeTuner, to improve the appearance.
For those using large OLED televisions as monitors, the problem is less noticeable due to the larger font size and distance from the screen. Alternative options like MacType also exist, but they may not provide a perfect solution and can require time and effort to configure.
The fact that in 2023 we still have to deal with font rendering issues and invest so much time in finding workarounds is disappointing. It highlights the lack of attention and care from Microsoft in addressing this problem.
