---
name: "update-fonts-dir"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "xfonts-utils"
version: "1:7.7+7"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/update-fonts-dir"
---

# update-fonts-dir(8)

compile fonts.dir files

## NAME

update-fonts-dir - compile fonts.dir files

## SYNOPSIS

**update-fonts-dir** \[*OPTION*\] *directory ...*

## DESCRIPTION

**update-fonts-dir** creates a *fonts.dir* file in an X font directory by invoking [**mkfontdir**(1x)](/mkfontdir/1x.md) with the appropriate arguments. It is typically invoked only from the post-installation and post-removal scripts of a *package* containing fonts for the X Window System, but may be invoked at any time to reconstruct *fonts.dir* files. For each *directory*, which is simply the last component of its path (such as ‘75dpi’ or ‘misc’), **update-fonts-dir** will generate either */usr/lib/X11/fonts/*directory*/fonts.dir* or */usr/share/fonts/X11/*directory*/fonts.dir* from the *fonts.scale* and font files found within it.

This enables multiple packages to provide names for fonts in the same directory. No font package actually provides the *fonts.dir* file in the X font directory itself, so there is no danger of overwriting one package's font names with those of another.

For instance, the two packages ‘xfonts-base’ (real) and ‘xfonts-nifty’ (hypothetical) may both install fonts into the directory */usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc*, and **update-fonts-dir** will ensure that the *fonts.dir* file in that directory contains information about the font files provided by both packages.

The format of *fonts.dir* files is described in the [**mkfontdir**(1x)](/mkfontdir/1x.md) manual page.

An example of how to use **update-fonts-dir** in package maintainer scripts is provided in the Debian Policy Manual.

## OPTIONS

**-h, --help** displays a brief usage message and exits.

**-7, --x11r7-layout** switches the font layout to the one introduced in X11R7: fonts in  */usr/share/fonts/X11/*directory (default is: fonts in  */usr/lib/X11/fonts/*directory)

## OPERANDS

**update-fonts-dir** takes one or more X font directory names to operate on as operands. Only the final path component of the directory name should be specified; e.g.,

**update-fonts-dir 75dpi**

is correct, while ‘**update-fonts-dir /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi**’ and ‘**update-fonts-dir /usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi**’ are not.

## ENVIRONMENT

- **COLUMNS**

  indicates the width of the terminal device in character cells. This value is used for formatting diagnostic messages. If not set, the terminal is queried using [**stty**(1)](/stty/1.md) to determine its width. If that fails, a value of ‘80’ is assumed.

## DIAGNOSTICS

### Errors

- **usage error: one or more font directories must be provided**

  **update-fonts-dir** was invoked without operands. Supply one or more X font directory names to operate on.

- **usage error: unrecognized option**

  **update-fonts-dir** was invoked with an unrecognized option argument. Use only the options documented in “OPTIONS”, above.

- **fatal error: path to X font directory must be used**

  A directory name was supplied that was not an X font directory name. Supply X font directory names only.

### Warnings

- **warning: absolute path** *directory* **was provided**

  Usage of absolute paths is deprecated. Use only the final component of the X font directory name for *directory*.

- **warning:** *directory* **does not exist or is not a directory**

  The supplied *directory* was invalid. **update-fonts-dir** skipped it.

## EXIT STATUS

- 0

  **update-fonts-dir** ran successfully.

- 1

  **update-fonts-dir** experienced a fatal error; see the section on diagnostic messages above.

- 2

  **update-fonts-dir** was invoked with invalid arguments.

## BUGS

See the Debian Bug Tracking System ⟨URL: https://bugs.debian.org/xfonts-utils ⟩. If you wish to report a bug in **update-fonts-dir**, please see */usr/share/doc/debian/bug-reporting.txt* or the [**reportbug**(1)](/reportbug/1.md) command.

## AUTHOR

**update-fonts-dir** was written by Branden Robinson.

## SEE ALSO

[**mkfontdir**(1x)](/mkfontdir/1x.md)