Feature Request: Add Native Support for PortableApps Fonts in LibreOffice Portable

Feature Request: Add Native Support for PortableApps Fonts in LibreOffice Portable

Hello,

I would like to propose a feature request regarding font portability in LibreOffice Portable.

According to the PortableApps documentation, users can place custom fonts in:

PortableApps\PortableApps.com\Data\fonts

This feature is extremely useful because it allows fonts to travel with the portable environment without requiring installation on the host operating system.

However, after testing, it appears that LibreOffice Portable does not currently detect or use fonts stored in the PortableApps font directory, even when the PortableApps Platform is running and the fonts are correctly placed in the recommended location.

Current Situation

PortableApps provides a centralized font directory intended for portable applications:

PortableApps\PortableApps.com\Data\fonts

The expectation is that applications within the PortableApps ecosystem can benefit from these portable fonts without requiring system-wide installation.

Unfortunately, LibreOffice Portable seems unable to access or load fonts from this directory. As a result:

• Custom fonts do not appear in the LibreOffice font list.
• Documents using those fonts fall back to substitute fonts.
• Users must install fonts on every computer they use.
• The portability of documents and office workflows is reduced.

Suggested Enhancement

Please consider implementing support within the LibreOffice Portable launcher, startup process, or integration layer so that fonts located in:

PortableApps\PortableApps.com\Data\fonts

are automatically registered and made available to LibreOffice Portable when it launches.

Possible implementation approaches could include:

1. Automatically registering PortableApps fonts for the current user session before LibreOffice starts.
2. Extending the launcher to expose the PortableApps font directory to LibreOffice.
3. Adding an optional setting that enables PortableApps font integration.
4. Providing a mechanism for LibreOffice Portable to scan and load fonts directly from the PortableApps font directory.

Benefits True Portability

Users could carry documents and their required fonts together on a USB drive or portable environment without modifying the host system.

Consistent Document Rendering

Documents would appear the same across different computers because the required fonts would always be available.

Better PortableApps Integration

The PortableApps Platform already provides a dedicated font directory. Supporting it in LibreOffice Portable would improve ecosystem integration and make the feature more useful in practice.

No Administrative Rights Required

Many users operate on school, work, library, or public computers where installing fonts is not permitted. Portable font support would solve this limitation.

Improved User Experience

Users would not need to manually install fonts or troubleshoot missing-font issues when moving between computers.

Why This Matters

One of the primary goals of portable software is to keep applications, settings, and resources self-contained. Fonts are often an essential part of documents, especially for:

• Multilingual documents
• Graphic design work
• Educational materials
• Publishing and printing
• Branding and corporate documents

Without portable font support, document portability remains incomplete because appearance can change depending on the fonts available on the host system.

Request

Could the PortableApps and/or LibreOffice Portable maintainers consider adding native support for fonts stored in:

PortableApps\PortableApps.com\Data\fonts

This would significantly improve font portability, document consistency, and the overall portable office experience.

Thank you for your time and consideration.