Apps
fontconfig
Fontconfig stores a generated font discovery cache under %LocalAppData%/fontconfig/cache so applications can avoid rescanning every installed font file on each launch. Those cache files record font metadata such as family names, styles, Unicode coverage, and file paths, and they can become stale after fonts are installed, removed, moved, or replaced. Kudu removes only these fontconfig cache files so the library can rebuild a fresh index automatically, without touching the actual font files, app settings, accounts, or personal data.
Why clean fontconfig?
- Stale cache entries after uninstalling or replacing a font make apps keep showing the old family or style until fontconfig rebuilds its index
- Cached file paths that point to moved or deleted font files cause missing text, fallback fonts, or squares in apps that rely on fontconfig
- Newly installed fonts may not appear in font pickers because the discovery cache still reflects an older scan of the system
- Corrupted cache files can make font-heavy apps pause on startup or hang while fontconfig retries failed font lookups
- Outdated Unicode coverage metadata causes the wrong fallback font to be chosen, which users notice as inconsistent glyph shapes or missing characters
- Large, long-lived cache files can accumulate obsolete font records, leading to slow first text rendering while applications walk bad entries before rebuilding
What gets cleaned
Cache paths Kudu targets
Windows
%LocalAppData%/fontconfig/cache |
Frequently asked
Common questions about fontconfig
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