GIMP Version: 2.8.14
Operating System: Windows
GIMP Experience: Basic Level

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Ok, I've been using GIMP for a while, but I'm not super adept -- all of a sudden I've only got one font -- Bodoni MT -- what the heck, I've tried re-installing gimp -- nothing I try seems to work, just one font -- what's going on here?

Go to
Edit > Preferences > Folders > Fonts

There should be 3 entries there.
Navigate to those 3 locations to see if you have fonts in there.

thank you -- yeah, those files are there, but still only one font -- I don't know if I need to select them or something, but the weirdest thing is I uninstalled it, reinstalled it and it was the same

You may need to go further and check out to see if you have fonts in your folders still. Just incase you deleted them. Everything on your system as well as the ones in gimp font folders should show up.
Maybe check the similar topics \/ below these.

If you have GIMP 2.10 (if it's 2.8 do it with 2.8)

Close GIMP, rename the "2.10" folder with something like "bak.2.10", it should be somewhere like /home/YourName/.config/GIMP/2.10/ (I'm on Linux so the path is a bit different than Windosw), once it's renamed
Then start GIMP, this should forces GIMP to search for the font on your computer, like the first time you started GIMP, it will (re)create a new "2.10" directory.
But if you have customized GIMP you will lose your settings (it will be/look like the first time you opened it).
If GIMP after the restart, still does not show all your fonts, you can throw the newly created "2.10" and rename your "bak.2.10" in "2.10" and you will recover all your setting and customization