diff --git a/cmd/wmii/bar.c b/cmd/wmii/bar.c
index a8b683d..3ddccfa 100644
--- a/cmd/wmii/bar.c
+++ b/cmd/wmii/bar.c
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ bar_init(WMScreen *s) {
 	}
 
 	s->brect = s->r;
-	s->brect.min.y = s->brect.max.y - labelh(def.font);
+	s->brect.min.y = s->brect.max.y - labelh(def.barfont);
 
 	wa.override_redirect = 1;
 	wa.background_pixmap = ParentRelative;
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ void
 bar_resize(WMScreen *s) {
 
 	s->brect = s->r;
-	s->brect.min.y = s->r.max.y - labelh(def.font);
+	s->brect.min.y = s->r.max.y - labelh(def.barfont);
 	reshapewin(s->barwin, s->brect);
 	/* FIXME: view_arrange. */
 }
@@ -126,9 +126,9 @@ bar_draw(WMScreen *s) {
 	foreach_bar(s, b) {
 		b->r.min = ZP;
 		b->r.max.y = Dy(s->brect);
-		b->r.max.x = def.font->height & ~1;
+		b->r.max.x = def.barfont->height & ~1;
 		if(b->text && strlen(b->text))
-			b->r.max.x += textwidth(def.font, b->text);
+			b->r.max.x += textwidth(def.barfont, b->text);
 		width += Dx(b->r);
 	}
 
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ bar_draw(WMScreen *s) {
 		if(b == s->bar[BRight])
 			align = East;
 		fill(disp.ibuf, b->r, b->col.bg);
-		drawstring(disp.ibuf, def.font, b->r, align, b->text, b->col.fg);
+		drawstring(disp.ibuf, def.barfont, b->r, align, b->text, b->col.fg);
 		border(disp.ibuf, b->r, 1, b->col.border);
 	}
 	copyimage(s->barwin, r, disp.ibuf, ZP);
diff --git a/cmd/wmii/dat.h b/cmd/wmii/dat.h
index 3414e6e..3346dbd 100644
--- a/cmd/wmii/dat.h
+++ b/cmd/wmii/dat.h
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include <x11.h>
 
 #define FONT		"-*-fixed-medium-r-*-*-13-*-*-*-*-*-*-*"
+#define BARFONT		"-*-fixed-medium-r-*-*-13-*-*-*-*-*-*-*"
 #define FOCUSCOLORS	"#ffffff #335577 #447799"
 #define NORMCOLORS	"#222222 #eeeeee #666666"
 
@@ -308,6 +309,7 @@ EXTERN struct {
 	CTuple	focuscolor;
 	CTuple	normcolor;
 	Font*	font;
+	Font*   barfont;
 	char*	keys;
 	uint	keyssz;
 	Ruleset	tagrules;
diff --git a/cmd/wmii/main.c b/cmd/wmii/main.c
index 43eb285..6c4f435 100644
--- a/cmd/wmii/main.c
+++ b/cmd/wmii/main.c
@@ -396,6 +396,7 @@ extern int fmtevent(Fmt*);
 	def.border = 1;
 	def.colmode = Colstack;
 	def.font = loadfont(FONT);
+	def.barfont = loadfont(BARFONT);
 	def.incmode = ISqueeze;
 
 	def.mod = Mod1Mask;
diff --git a/cmd/wmii/message.c b/cmd/wmii/message.c
index cf339e5..6d4e273 100644
--- a/cmd/wmii/message.c
+++ b/cmd/wmii/message.c
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ enum {
 	LFULLSCREEN,
 	LURGENT,
 	LBAR,
+	LBARFONT,
 	LBORDER,
 	LCLIENT,
 	LCOLMODE,
@@ -60,6 +61,7 @@ char *symtab[] = {
 	"Fullscreen",
 	"Urgent",
 	"bar",
+	"barfont",
 	"border",
 	"client",
 	"colmode",
@@ -459,6 +461,17 @@ message_root(void *p, IxpMsg *m) {
 			return Ebadvalue;
 		view_update(selview);
 		break;
+	case LBARFONT:
+		fn = loadfont(m->pos);
+		if(fn) {
+			freefont(def.barfont);
+			def.barfont = fn;
+			for(n=0; n < nscreens; n++)
+				bar_resize(screens[n]);
+		}else
+			ret = "can't load font";
+		view_update(selview);
+		break;
 	case LBORDER:
 		if(!getulong(msg_getword(m), &n))
 			return Ebadvalue;
@@ -554,6 +567,7 @@ readctl_root(void) {
 		bufprint("\n");
 	}
 	bufprint("focuscolors %s\n", def.focuscolor.colstr);
+	bufprint("barfont %s\n", def.barfont->name);
 	bufprint("font %s\n", def.font->name);
 	bufprint("grabmod %s\n", def.grabmod);
 	bufprint("incmode %s\n", incmodetab[screen->barpos]);