Windows 10: Start menu font was misteriously changed to a serif type

Evening!I recently formatted my PC and, due to my advancing age, my readability is a bit affected, so I used Winaero Tweaker WAT to change some fonts, such as message boxes, title bars, menus, icons and the system font. The ideal thing would be to do this in a native control panel, not third-party programs; it's about accessibility.The idea was to format my HDD, install Windows, configure it and leave it my way, applying the usual configuration changes, install my regular programs I've been using winget for that and, once done everything, make a disk image that contains the operating syste

:)

 

Winaero messed start menu font to a serif type

Hi,
I've been tweaking with Winaero to customize system fonts, as well as icon, menus and message boxes' fonts. It's about legibility.
Winaero never gave me a problem; but now, for some reason I don't understand, it messed the start menu font to a serif type, but only during the search/typing process. Please look at the attached screenshot:



I think it's about the "system font" option. Other customizations, like in icons and menus, are working as intended.
I already tried reverting the changes with no luck.
Any ideas? Windows 10 22H2 19045.2311 here.

 

Winaero messed start menu font to a serif type

Well, just to value all your inputs, I tried every single thing.

First, I tried restoring the default font settings. Then rebuilding the font cache via that .bat script.

Ah sorry, I didn't try reseting the start menu layout because that's indeed beside the point. Actually, I don't know if the screen I showed is technically the start menu; it's more like the "search pane". The start menu — the one that shows the app tiles — has the correct font.

As for WAT: I revisited every section I changed and restored it, one by one. No luck. I'm beginning to think Winaero is not to blame after all.

Now bear with me: something I did disrupted the 'search pane (or start menu when typed into)' font to a serif type. Not that serif fonts are a problem; but in here they just don't fit. It works though. Now you're suggesting I push the red button — a full re-format — because some font setting isn't quite right. And it's something I did casually and unintentionally; I haven't tried or experimented on anything I haven't tweaked before. This is just tedious. Again, I was planning to create the disk image once my PC was all set, and using WAT was one of these settings. It's just frustrating.

I'm probably formatting though; this way I can create earlier, differential images.

I just thought... there is a way to fix this by finding the precise setting that was messed with in the Registry.

I'll let you know!

 

Winaero messed start menu font to a serif type

There is of course no absolute guarantee of an in-place upgrade repair fixing everything.

It depends what's been modified.

You could look at this - from the searchable Tutorial section:
Restore Default Font Settings in Windows

Worth trying at least.

Related:
Rebuild Font Cache in Windows 10

As for the Start Menu itself, there are these, but probably not relevant to a font issue:
Reset Start Layout in Windows 10
Start Menu Troubleshooter in Windows 10


Turning to Winaero's tweaker: each section usually gives a full explanation of how the change works.
I suggest you look back at what you used, and see what you can make of the explanation, and whether there's something you can reverse.