What AFM and DFM are, and why you might disable them

AFM (Adobe Font Metrics) and DFM (Device Font Metrics) are font-handling systems built into Windows that manage how your computer displays and prints text. AFM handles PostScript fonts, while DFM manages device fonts — the fonts built into your printer or display. Most people never interact with these directly, but they run in the background whenever you print or use certain older applications.

You might want to disable them if you're experiencing printing problems, font corruption, or conflicts with design software. Some users disable them when troubleshooting document formatting issues or when working with legacy applications that don't play well with modern font systems. Disabling them won't break your computer — Windows has fallback systems — but it can affect how certain fonts render, especially in older programs or when printing to older printers.

Before you disable either one, identify which is actually causing your problem. If you're having trouble printing, the issue is usually DFM. If fonts look wrong in a specific process, it's more likely AFM. Disabling the wrong one wastes your time and doesn't solve the underlying issue.

Key Takeaways

  • AFM handles PostScript fonts in applications; DFM handles fonts built into printers and displays.
  • Disabling them requires editing the Windows Registry, which is a direct text edit to system settings — mistakes here can cause problems, so back up your Registry first.
  • You disable AFM by changing a Registry value in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe; DFM is disabled through font settings or Group Policy depending on your Windows version.
  • After disabling either one, restart your computer for the change to take effect.
  • If disabling them doesn't solve your problem, you can re-enable them by reversing the same steps or restoring your Registry backup.

Back up your Registry before making any changes

The Registry is the master settings file for Windows. Editing it directly is safe if you follow steps exactly, but a mistake can cause Windows to behave unpredictably. Before you disable AFM or DFM, create a backup so you can undo the change if something goes wrong.

Open the Registry Editor by pressing Windows key + R, typing regedit, and pressing Enter. When prompted by User Account Control, click Yes. Once the Registry Editor window opens, go to File menu and select Export. Choose a location on your computer (your Desktop is fine), give the file a name like "Registry_Backup_Before_AFM_DFM", and click Save. This creates a .reg file you can double-click later to restore everything if you need to.

Keep this backup file somewhere you'll remember it. If you make a change and your computer starts behaving strangely, you can restore it by double-clicking the backup file and clicking Yes when Windows asks to confirm.

How to disable AFM (Adobe Font Metrics)

AFM is primarily used by Adobe applications and some design software. If you're having font problems specifically in Adobe Creative Suite or similar programs, disabling AFM may help. Open the Registry Editor again (Windows key + R, type regedit, press Enter).

Navigate to this location by clicking through the folders on the left: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE → SOFTWARE → Adobe. If you don't see an Adobe folder, AFM is not installed or configured on your system, and you don't need to disable it. If you do see it, look for a key called FontMetrics or similar. Right-click on it and select Delete, or look for a DWORD value called DisableAFM and change its value from 0 to 1.

If the DisableAFM value doesn't exist, you can create it. Right-click in the empty space on the right side of the Registry Editor window, select New → DWORD (32-bit) Value, name it DisableAFM, and set the value to 1. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

How to disable DFM (Device Font Metrics)

DFM is handled differently depending on your Windows version. On Windows 10 and 11, DFM settings are usually managed through font settings or Group Policy rather than a single Registry key. The most direct approach is to disable font caching, which often resolves DFM-related printing issues.

Open the Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE → SYSTEM → CurrentControlSet → Services → FontCache. Look for a value called Start. If it's set to 2, the font cache is running. Change it to 4 to disable it. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

If you're on Windows Pro, Enterprise, or Education edition, you can also use Group Policy. Press Windows key + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. Navigate to Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Font Management. Look for a policy related to font caching or device fonts and disable it. Restart your computer afterward.

What to expect after disabling AFM or DFM

After you restart, the change takes effect when ready. If you disabled AFM, Adobe applications and design software may load fonts more slowly the first time you open them, because they're no longer using cached font metrics. Fonts should still display correctly, but rendering may be slightly different in some cases.

If you disabled DFM or font caching, printing should work more smoothly if the problem was font-related. However, printing may be slightly slower because Windows is recalculating font metrics on each print job instead of using a cached version. This is usually not noticeable unless you're printing very large batches of documents.

If disabling either one doesn't solve your original problem, the issue is likely something else — a corrupted font file, a printer driver problem, or a software bug. In that case, re-enable the setting by reversing the steps or restoring your Registry backup, and try a different troubleshooting approach.

How to re-enable AFM or DFM if you need to

If you disabled AFM or DFM and want to turn them back on, the process is straightforward. Open the Registry Editor, navigate back to the same location where you made the change, and either delete the DisableAFM value you created or change it back to 0. For DFM, change the FontCache Start value back to 2.

The fastest way to undo everything is to double-click the Registry backup file you created at the beginning. Windows will ask you to confirm, and clicking Yes restores all Registry settings to exactly what they were before you started. Restart your computer after restoring.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will disabling AFM or DFM break my computer?

No. Both are optimization systems, not core Windows functions. Disabling them means Windows falls back to slower methods of handling fonts, but everything will still work. If something goes wrong, you can restore your Registry backup and undo the change in minutes.

How do I know if AFM or DFM is actually causing my problem?

Printing issues are usually DFM-related. Font rendering problems in specific applications are usually AFM-related. If you're not sure, disable DFM first — it's the more common culprit. If that doesn't help, restore it and try disabling AFM instead.

Do I need to disable both AFM and DFM at the same time?

No. Disable one, restart, and see if it solves your problem. Only disable the second one if the first didn't help. Disabling both makes it harder to figure out which one was actually causing the issue.

What if I can't find the Registry keys you described?

If the Adobe folder doesn't exist, AFM isn't installed on your system. If FontCache doesn't exist, it's not running. In either case, that setting isn't the source of your problem, and you should look elsewhere for the cause.

Can I disable AFM or DFM through the Windows Settings app instead of the Registry?

Not directly. These settings are only accessible through the Registry Editor or Group Policy. There's no Settings app toggle for them. This is why backing up your Registry first is important — it's the only way to change these settings.