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Rebuild the Font Cache with fc-cache

Run fc-cache -f after installing fonts so applications detect them without logging out.

Linuxcachefontsdesktopfc-cacheLow risk
After copying font files into ~/.local/share/fonts/, run `fc-cache -f` to make them available immediately.

01Command

Command
$ fc-cache -f -v

02What it does

fontconfig keeps a per-directory cache of font metadata; apps read the cache rather than rescanning directories, which is why new TTF/OTF files seem invisible until you rebuild it. `-f` forces a full rescan and `-v` shows which directories were processed. Verify the font is now found with `fc-list | grep -i <name>` — running apps may still need a restart to offer the new family.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
Requirementsfontconfig. Drop fonts into ~/.local/share/fonts/ (per-user) or /usr/local/share/fonts/ (all users) before running.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • fc-cache(1) - Linux manual page
    Ubuntu Manpages · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: fc-cache scans the font directories and builds font information cache files; -f forces rescan ignoring the cache, -v reports directories scanned.

Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: System & Settings

06Related solutions

Flush the DNS cache with `resolvectl flush-caches`
Linuxcachesystemd-resolvedDNS

On systemd-based Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian 12+), the local DNS stub cache is managed by systemd-resolved — and the command to clear it is easy to forget because it changed from systemd-resolve.

Low risk ✓ 2026-09-17