Word shows only one or two fonts in its Font list

I have a lot of fonts installed. I can see them in the Windows Font folder, and I can use them in other programs, including other Office applications, but they are not displayed in Word's font list

Article contributed by Suzanne S. Barnhill and Bill Coan

Select a different printer, or install one if there isn't one installed. Word shows only those fonts supported by the current printer.

Because Word aspires to be a WYSIWYG program, it is heavily dependent on the printer driver. It gets its information about what fonts are available from the printer driver for the default printer. If you don't have a printer set as the default or have a Generic/Text Only printer selected, you will see a very limited font list.

Sometimes this problem will arise even when a default printer is selected. This may be an indication that the printer driver is corrupted. You may need to uninstall and reinstall the printer. Sometimes it is sufficient to switch to a different printer and back.

If you will not be printing from the computer where you are working, install the driver for the printer you will ultimately be using (it doesn't have to be attached to your computer); be aware, though, that the font selection available to that printer will depend on the fonts available in the computer it is connected to, so, unless you plan to embed TrueType fonts in your document (and font embedding can be a very complex issue), you should stick to the Windows core fonts (Times New Roman, Arial, Courier, Symbol, Wingdings, and so on) or fonts that you are sure both computers share.