## Option 1: Windows Subsystem for Linux (Recommended)

The easiest way to run Fontmatrix on Windows is through WSL2 with a graphical environment.

# Step 1: Enable WSL (PowerShell as Administrator)
> wsl --install

# Step 2: Install Ubuntu from Microsoft Store
# (restart your computer after WSL install)

# Step 3: Open Ubuntu terminal and install Fontmatrix
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install fontmatrix

# Step 4: Launch (WSLg handles the display automatically)
$ fontmatrix &

Windows 11 and recent Windows 10 builds include WSLg, which provides native GUI app support. Fontmatrix windows will appear alongside your regular Windows applications.

## Option 2: Build from Source with MSYS2

For a native Windows build, use the MSYS2 environment:

# Step 1: Download and install MSYS2 from https://www.msys2.org/

# Step 2: Open MSYS2 MINGW64 terminal

# Step 3: Install build dependencies
$ pacman -Syu
$ pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-gcc \
    mingw-w64-x86_64-cmake \
    mingw-w64-x86_64-qt5-base \
    mingw-w64-x86_64-freetype \
    mingw-w64-x86_64-fontconfig \
    mingw-w64-x86_64-icu \
    git make

# Step 4: Clone and build
$ git clone https://github.com/fontmatrix/fontmatrix.git
$ cd fontmatrix && mkdir build && cd build
$ cmake -G "MSYS Makefiles" \
    -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/mingw64 ..
$ make -j$(nproc)
$ make install

# Step 5: Run
$ fontmatrix.exe

## Option 3: Pre-Built Windows Binaries

Community-maintained Windows builds may be available on the GitHub Releases page. Check for .exe or .msi installers under the latest release assets.

# Download from GitHub releases
https://github.com/fontmatrix/fontmatrix/releases

# Typical installation:
1. Download fontmatrix-0.9.0-win64-setup.exe
2. Run the installer
3. Follow the setup wizard
4. Launch from Start Menu → Fontmatrix

## Windows Font Directories

On Windows, Fontmatrix will scan these default locations:

C:\Windows\Fonts\              # System fonts
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Fonts\  # Per-user fonts (Win10+)
%USERPROFILE%\.fonts\          # Custom directory (configurable)

## Troubleshooting

• • Q: WSL GUI apps don't appear? → Ensure you have Windows 11 or Windows 10 build 21364+. Run wsl --update.
• • Q: MSYS2 build fails? → Make sure you're using the MINGW64 terminal, not the MSYS2 one.
• • Q: Missing DLL errors? → Copy required Qt5/MinGW DLLs to the same directory as fontmatrix.exe.
• • Q: Can't see Windows fonts in WSL? → Mount Windows fonts: sudo ln -s /mnt/c/Windows/Fonts /usr/share/fonts/windows

NOTE: For the best Fontmatrix experience, we strongly recommend using a Linux-based operating system. See the Linux installation guide for instructions on all major distributions.