Word message: insufficient memory. cannot display requested font. Please advise

Question

Word message: There is insufficient memory or disc space. We cannot display the requested font.

This is preventing printing.

Please advise how to sort out.

Answer 1

Hi!

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

This Word error is usually misleading, it often has nothing to do with actual RAM or disk space. In most cases, it’s caused by a corrupted font or printer driver issues.

Let's do the basic steps first, save your document close Word and restart your computer. Once done, open Word again and try to print, see if error still appears.

Answer 2

Hi!

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

This Word error is usually misleading, it often has nothing to do with actual RAM or disk space. In most cases, it’s caused by a corrupted font or printer driver issues.

Let's do the basic steps first, save your document close Word and restart your computer. Once done, open Word again and try to print, see if error still appears.

Answer 3

Follow these steps to resolve the “There is insufficient memory or disk space. Word cannot display the requested font.” error and restore printing:

1. Check for missing fonts after Windows upgrade
   • This error can occur if required fonts were removed or moved to optional Windows features during an upgrade.
   • Install the optional font features for Windows so that the fonts used in the document are available again.
2. Verify Fonts folder permissions
   • Open Command Prompt as administrator.
   • Run:

          icacls C:\Windows\Fonts
     

   • Compare the output with the default permissions shown in the documentation. If permissions differ from the default, reset them to match the default so Word and other Office apps can access fonts correctly.
3. Repair Office if the problem persists
   • If fonts and permissions are correct but Word still shows the error and blocks printing, run an Online Repair of Office:
     • Open Settings → System → Apps → Installed apps.
     • Find Microsoft Office.
     • Select the three-dot menu (or Modify), choose Online Repair, then select Repair.
   • This repairs Word and other Office components that may be causing the font display error.

If the document uses many complex text boxes or embedded objects, reducing their number can also help avoid resource-related font display issues.

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References:

• Error messages opening Office documents when fonts are missing from the machine
• Description of the Word 2013 hotfix package (Word-x-none.msp): October 8, 2013
• How to fix MS Word has run into an error that is preventing from working properly. Word will need to be closed as a result. - Microsoft Q&A
• how to fix word error - Microsoft Q&A