diff --git a/include/components/parser.hpp b/include/components/parser.hpp
index b3e62d61..09c71656 100644
--- a/include/components/parser.hpp
+++ b/include/components/parser.hpp
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ class parser {
   size_t text(string&& data);
 
   uint32_t parse_color(const string& s, uint32_t fallback = 0);
-  int8_t parse_fontindex(const string& s);
+  uint8_t parse_fontindex(const string& s);
   attribute parse_attr(const char attr);
   mousebtn parse_action_btn(const string& data);
   string parse_action_cmd(string&& data);
diff --git a/include/components/renderer.hpp b/include/components/renderer.hpp
index 20fa32ba..647f022b 100644
--- a/include/components/renderer.hpp
+++ b/include/components/renderer.hpp
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ class renderer
   void set_foreground(const uint32_t color);
   void set_underline(const uint32_t color);
   void set_overline(const uint32_t color);
-  void set_fontindex(const int8_t font);
+  void set_fontindex(const uint8_t font);
   void set_alignment(const alignment align);
   void set_attribute(const attribute attr, const bool state);
   void toggle_attribute(const attribute attr);
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ class renderer
   alignment m_alignment{alignment::NONE};
   map<gc, uint32_t> m_colors;
   uint8_t m_attributes{0U};
-  int8_t m_fontindex{DEFAULT_FONT_INDEX};
+  uint8_t m_fontindex{0};
 
   xcb_font_t m_gcfont{XCB_NONE};
 };
diff --git a/include/config.hpp.cmake b/include/config.hpp.cmake
index d5d50ce8..a695f4cb 100644
--- a/include/config.hpp.cmake
+++ b/include/config.hpp.cmake
@@ -61,7 +61,6 @@ static constexpr const char* PATH_MEMORY_INFO{"@SETTING_PATH_MEMORY_INFO@"};
 static constexpr const char* PATH_MESSAGING_FIFO{"@SETTING_PATH_MESSAGING_FIFO@"};
 static constexpr const char* PATH_TEMPERATURE_INFO{"@SETTING_PATH_TEMPERATURE_INFO@"};
 
-static const int8_t DEFAULT_FONT_INDEX{-1};
 static constexpr const char* BUILDER_SPACE_TOKEN{"%__"};
 
 auto version_details = [](const std::vector<std::string>& args) {
diff --git a/include/events/signal.hpp b/include/events/signal.hpp
index 602eb8f9..b8ba8380 100644
--- a/include/events/signal.hpp
+++ b/include/events/signal.hpp
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ namespace signals {
     DEFINE_VALUE_SIGNAL(71, change_foreground, uint32_t);
     DEFINE_VALUE_SIGNAL(72, change_underline, uint32_t);
     DEFINE_VALUE_SIGNAL(73, change_overline, uint32_t);
-    DEFINE_VALUE_SIGNAL(74, change_font, int8_t);
+    DEFINE_VALUE_SIGNAL(74, change_font, uint8_t);
     DEFINE_VALUE_SIGNAL(75, change_alignment, alignment);
     DEFINE_VALUE_SIGNAL(76, offset_pixel, int16_t);
     DEFINE_VALUE_SIGNAL(77, attribute_set, attribute);
diff --git a/include/x11/fonts.hpp b/include/x11/fonts.hpp
index 37c782c4..2cdb50d7 100644
--- a/include/x11/fonts.hpp
+++ b/include/x11/fonts.hpp
@@ -58,8 +58,8 @@ class font_manager {
   void set_visual(shared_ptr<Visual>&& v);
 
   void cleanup();
-  bool load(const string& name, int8_t fontindex = DEFAULT_FONT_INDEX, int8_t offset_y = 0);
-  void set_preferred_font(int8_t index);
+  bool load(const string& name, uint8_t fontindex = 0, int8_t offset_y = 0);
+  void fontindex(uint8_t index);
   shared_ptr<font_ref> match_char(const uint16_t chr);
   uint8_t glyph_width(const shared_ptr<font_ref>& font, const uint16_t chr);
   void drawtext(const shared_ptr<font_ref>& font, xcb_pixmap_t pm, xcb_gcontext_t gc, int16_t x, int16_t y,
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ class font_manager {
   Colormap m_colormap;
 
   map<uint8_t, shared_ptr<font_ref>> m_fonts{};
-  int8_t m_fontindex{DEFAULT_FONT_INDEX};
+  uint8_t m_fontindex{0};
 
   XftDraw* m_xftdraw{nullptr};
   XftColor m_xftcolor{};
diff --git a/src/components/parser.cpp b/src/components/parser.cpp
index fe5adede..076a133d 100644
--- a/src/components/parser.cpp
+++ b/src/components/parser.cpp
@@ -227,15 +227,15 @@ uint32_t parser::parse_color(const string& s, uint32_t fallback) {
 /**
  * Process font index and convert it to the correct value
  */
-int8_t parser::parse_fontindex(const string& s) {
+uint8_t parser::parse_fontindex(const string& s) {
   if (s.empty() || s[0] == '-') {
-    return -1;
+    return 0;
   }
 
   try {
     return std::stoul(s, nullptr, 10);
   } catch (const std::invalid_argument& err) {
-    return -1;
+    return 0;
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/components/renderer.cpp b/src/components/renderer.cpp
index 89231328..98d070d1 100644
--- a/src/components/renderer.cpp
+++ b/src/components/renderer.cpp
@@ -566,13 +566,13 @@ bool renderer::on(const change_overline& evt) {
 }
 
 bool renderer::on(const change_font& evt) {
-  int8_t font{*evt()};
+  uint8_t font{*evt()};
 
   if (m_fontindex == font) {
-    m_log.trace_x("renderer: ignoring unchanged font index(%i)", static_cast<int8_t>(font));
+    m_log.trace_x("renderer: ignoring unchanged font index(%i)", static_cast<uint8_t>(font));
   } else {
-    m_log.trace_x("renderer: set_fontindex(%i)", static_cast<int8_t>(font));
-    m_fontmanager->set_preferred_font(font);
+    m_log.trace_x("renderer: fontindex(%i)", static_cast<uint8_t>(font));
+    m_fontmanager->fontindex(font);
     m_fontindex = font;
   }
 
diff --git a/src/x11/fonts.cpp b/src/x11/fonts.cpp
index 3ba187a6..55dd44b9 100644
--- a/src/x11/fonts.cpp
+++ b/src/x11/fonts.cpp
@@ -67,11 +67,11 @@ void font_manager::cleanup() {
   }
 }
 
-bool font_manager::load(const string& name, int8_t fontindex, int8_t offset_y) {
-  if (fontindex != DEFAULT_FONT_INDEX && m_fonts.find(fontindex) != m_fonts.end()) {
+bool font_manager::load(const string& name, uint8_t fontindex, int8_t offset_y) {
+  if (fontindex > 0 && m_fonts.find(fontindex) != m_fonts.end()) {
     m_logger.warn("A font with index '%i' has already been loaded, skip...", fontindex);
     return false;
-  } else if (fontindex == DEFAULT_FONT_INDEX) {
+  } else if (fontindex == 0) {
     fontindex = m_fonts.size();
     m_logger.trace("font_manager: Assign font '%s' to index '%d'", name.c_str(), fontindex);
   } else {
@@ -126,43 +126,35 @@ bool font_manager::load(const string& name, int8_t fontindex, int8_t offset_y) {
   return true;
 }
 
-void font_manager::set_preferred_font(int8_t index) {
-  if (index <= 0) {
-    m_fontindex = DEFAULT_FONT_INDEX;
-    return;
-  }
-
-  for (auto&& font : m_fonts) {
-    if (font.first == index) {
-      m_fontindex = index;
-      break;
+void font_manager::fontindex(uint8_t index) {
+  if ((m_fontindex = index) > 0) {
+    for (auto&& font : m_fonts) {
+      if (font.first == index) {
+        m_fontindex = index;
+        break;
+      }
     }
   }
 }
 
 shared_ptr<font_ref> font_manager::match_char(const uint16_t chr) {
-  if (m_fonts.empty()) {
-    return {};
-  }
-
-  if (m_fontindex != DEFAULT_FONT_INDEX && static_cast<size_t>(m_fontindex) <= m_fonts.size()) {
-    auto iter = m_fonts.find(m_fontindex);
-    if (iter == m_fonts.end() || !iter->second) {
-      return {};
-    } else if (has_glyph_xft(iter->second, chr)) {
-      return iter->second;
-    } else if (has_glyph_xcb(iter->second, chr)) {
-      return iter->second;
+  if (!m_fonts.empty()) {
+    if (m_fontindex > 0 && static_cast<size_t>(m_fontindex) <= m_fonts.size()) {
+      auto iter = m_fonts.find(m_fontindex);
+      if (iter != m_fonts.end() && iter->second) {
+        if (has_glyph_xft(iter->second, chr)) {
+          return iter->second;
+        } else if (has_glyph_xcb(iter->second, chr)) {
+          return iter->second;
+        }
+      }
     }
-  }
-
-  for (auto&& font : m_fonts) {
-    if (!font.second) {
-      return {};
-    } else if (has_glyph_xft(font.second, chr)) {
-      return font.second;
-    } else if (has_glyph_xcb(font.second, chr)) {
-      return font.second;
+    for (auto&& font : m_fonts) {
+      if (font.second && has_glyph_xft(font.second, chr)) {
+        return font.second;
+      } else if (font.second && has_glyph_xcb(font.second, chr)) {
+        return font.second;
+      }
     }
   }