Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Firefox accesses Solidworks fonts folder

  • 4 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 5 views
  • Last reply by fracarol

more options

Hi, lately I have been trying to tackle my secondary HDD being spun up for no reason in the background and one thing that keeps popping up is Firefox.exe accessing a bunch of fonts contained in the Solidworks installation on the HDD (which is a secondary drive, while Firefox is installed on the primary SSD).

I really cannot understand why it happens, since I think nobody is supposed to install Solidworks along with Firefox. Of course I don't want this activity to wake up my drive, but also, is it normal? I have to admit I'm kinda worried.

I'll attach screenshots from Sysinternals Process Monitor

Thanks in advance to anyone that will help :)

Hi, lately I have been trying to tackle my secondary HDD being spun up for no reason in the background and one thing that keeps popping up is Firefox.exe accessing a bunch of fonts contained in the Solidworks installation on the HDD (which is a secondary drive, while Firefox is installed on the primary SSD). I really cannot understand why it happens, since I think nobody is supposed to install Solidworks along with Firefox. Of course I don't want this activity to wake up my drive, but also, is it normal? I have to admit I'm kinda worried. I'll attach screenshots from Sysinternals Process Monitor Thanks in advance to anyone that will help :)
Attached screenshots

Modified by fracarol

Chosen solution

Hmm, I assume Firefox is using a standard Windows interface to query available fonts. Could you test whether it makes any difference to hide user-installed fonts from web content? That way, if this is some kind of fingerprinting by a site you visit, we could rule that out as an explanation. Here's the preference for that:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.

(2) In the search box in the page, type or paste layout.css.font-visibility and pause while the list is filtered

Note: before Firefox 94

(3) Double-click the layout.css.font-visibility.level preference (or click the pencil button) to display an editing field, and choose a lower value, then press Enter or click the blue check mark button to save the change.

Note: starting in Firefox 94

(3) Double-click the layout.css.font-visibility.standard preference (or click the pencil button) to display an editing field, and choose a lower value, then press Enter or click the blue check mark button to save the change.

These are the recognized values:

  • 1 = only expose base system fonts
  • 2 = also expose fonts from optional language packs
  • 3 = also expose user-installed fonts (default)

More info on about:config: Configuration Editor for Firefox.

Read this answer in context 👍 1

All Replies (4)

more options

Is there really nothing that can be done about this? It happens regularly, there must be a reason

more options

I would assume that there is somewhere a reference to that folder in the Windows Registry that makes Firefox scan this folder for possible fonts (i.e. the Solidworks application has registered its own fonts).

more options

Chosen Solution

Hmm, I assume Firefox is using a standard Windows interface to query available fonts. Could you test whether it makes any difference to hide user-installed fonts from web content? That way, if this is some kind of fingerprinting by a site you visit, we could rule that out as an explanation. Here's the preference for that:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.

(2) In the search box in the page, type or paste layout.css.font-visibility and pause while the list is filtered

Note: before Firefox 94

(3) Double-click the layout.css.font-visibility.level preference (or click the pencil button) to display an editing field, and choose a lower value, then press Enter or click the blue check mark button to save the change.

Note: starting in Firefox 94

(3) Double-click the layout.css.font-visibility.standard preference (or click the pencil button) to display an editing field, and choose a lower value, then press Enter or click the blue check mark button to save the change.

These are the recognized values:

  • 1 = only expose base system fonts
  • 2 = also expose fonts from optional language packs
  • 3 = also expose user-installed fonts (default)

More info on about:config: Configuration Editor for Firefox.

Modified by jscher2000 - Support Volunteer

more options

cor-el said

I would assume that there is somewhere a reference to that folder in the Windows Registry that makes Firefox scan this folder for possible fonts (i.e. the Solidworks application has registered its own fonts).

jscher2000 said

Hmm, I assume Firefox is using a standard Windows interface to query available fonts. Could you test whether it makes any difference to hide user-installed fonts from web content? That way, if this is some kind of fingerprinting by a site you visit, we could rule that out as an explanation. (...)

Thank to you both for your replies; unfortunately I saw only cor-el's reply at first so I have uninstalled those Solidworks fonts thorugh the Windows interface before trying the layout.css.font-visibility.level parameter. Now, with those fonts uninstalled from Windows, the scanning activity that appeared when launching Firefox has disappeared. Now I have hidden user installed fonts to Firefox too, but until those fonts do not reinstall automagically, I don't think I will be able to tell if it's working (but if it's the case, I will update this thread); anyway, I do think it was just a standard fonts query as you both suggested.

I admit this problem was kinda stupid, though I hadn't been able to understand it yet; I hope that uninstalling those fonts as I did will solve all my other problems with programs scanning that folder.

Again, thank you a lot for your help

Modified by fracarol