How To Set Default Font In Outlook

Tired of changing your font every time you write an email? This guide provides clear, step-by-step instructions on how to set a default font in Microsoft Outlook for all your messages. By customising your default settings, you can ensure your emails always look professional and consistent with your personal or company brand. This tutorial covers the Outlook desktop application for Windows as well as the Outlook on the Web version, helping you maintain a uniform appearance no matter how you access your inbox.

Fast Answer

In the Outlook desktop app: Go to File > Options > Mail > Stationery and Fonts...
In Outlook on the Web: Click the Settings (cog) icon > View all Outlook settings > Mail > Compose and reply.

5-10 minutes Time needed

Easy Difficulty

IT Policies Watch out for

Before You Start

You will need access to your Microsoft Outlook account, either through the installed desktop application on a Windows PC or via a web browser at Outlook.com.
Have a specific font in mind (e.g., Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman) and a preferred size (typically 11pt or 12pt for readability).
Note that the settings for the desktop app and the web app are separate and do not sync. If you use both, you must follow the steps for each platform.

Check first: If you use a work computer, your company's IT department might have policies in place that prevent you from changing default settings or automatically override them. If your changes don't save, this is the most likely reason.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Open the Outlook Options Menu (Desktop App)

First, we will focus on the Outlook desktop application. To begin, open Outlook on your computer. In the top-left corner of the window, click on the File tab. This will take you to the "backstage" view where you can manage your account and application settings. On the blue menu down the left-hand side, look for and click on Options near the bottom of the list. This will open the main Outlook Options dialogue box, which contains all the customisation settings for the application.

Navigate to Stationery and Fonts

In the Outlook Options window that appears, you will see a list of categories on the left. Click on the Mail category. This section controls everything related to how you compose, send, and receive messages. Look for a button labelled Stationery and Fonts.... It's usually located under the "Compose messages" heading. Click this button to open a new window titled "Signatures and Stationery," which is where you can control the default look of your emails.

Set the Font for New Mail Messages

In the "Signatures and Stationery" window, make sure you are on the Personal Stationery tab. You will see three sections with corresponding "Font..." buttons. The first one is New mail messages. This setting controls the font for every original email you compose. Click the Font... button in this section. A standard font selection box will appear. Here, you can choose your desired Font, Font style (like Regular, Italic, Bold), Size, Font colour, and add effects like underline. For professional use, a standard sans-serif font like Calibri or Arial in size 11 or 12 is a safe and readable choice. Once you have made your selections, click OK.

Set the Font for Replies and Forwards

Next, you will set the font for messages you reply to or forward. Back in the "Signatures and Stationery" window, look for the section labelled Replying or forwarding messages. Click the Font... button next to it. You can choose the same font as your new messages for consistency, or you can select a different style or colour. Some people prefer to use a different colour (like blue) for their replies to make their text stand out from the original message thread. Make your selections for font, style, size, and colour, and then click OK.

Tip: If you find that Outlook is automatically changing the colour of your reply text to blue, this is the setting you need to change. Set the "Font colour" to Automatic or Black to disable this feature.

Adjust the Font for Plain Text Messages

The final option on this screen is Composing and reading plain text messages. Plain text emails contain no formatting at all—no bold, no italics, no different fonts or colours. This setting only changes how plain text messages appear on your screen while you are writing them. The recipient will see the message in whatever default plain text font their own email client uses. It's still good practice to set this to a clear, readable font like Consolas or Courier New in size 10 or 11 for your own comfort. Click the Font... button, make your choice, and click OK.

Save and Confirm Your Changes

After setting the fonts for all three categories, you will be back at the "Signatures and Stationery" window. Click OK to close it. This will return you to the main "Outlook Options" window. You must also click OK on this window to finalise and save all your new settings. If you close the window using the 'X' button, your changes may not be applied. Always click OK to confirm.

Test Your New Default Font Settings

The best way to ensure your changes have worked is to test them. Click the New Email button to compose a new message. The cursor should appear, and any text you type should be in the new default font you selected for "New mail messages." Next, find an existing email in your inbox, select it, and click the Reply button. The text you type should now appear in the font you chose for "Replying or forwarding messages." If both tests are successful, you have successfully changed the default font in your Outlook desktop app.

Change the Default Font in Outlook on the Web

If you also use Outlook through a web browser (at Outlook.com or through a Microsoft 365 portal), you'll need to set the default font there as well, as the settings are not synchronised with the desktop app. Log in to your account. In the top-right corner of the page, look for the Settings icon, which looks like a cog wheel. Click it. A settings panel will open on the right. At the bottom of this panel, click the link that says View all Outlook settings.

Customise and Save Your Web Font Settings

A full-page "Settings" window will now appear. In the left-hand menu, ensure Mail is selected, then click on the sub-category Compose and reply. This is the central hub for customising your outgoing emails on the web version. You will see a section called Message format. Here, you can use the dropdown menus and toolbar to select your default font, size, and style (bold, italic, underline). This single setting applies to all new messages, replies, and forwards. Choose your preferred options, then scroll down to the bottom of the window and click the Save button. If you don't click save, the changes will be lost when you close the window. Once saved, all emails you send from the web will use your new default font.

Quick Reference

Situation	Use this	Why
Changing font for new emails (Desktop)	File > Options > Mail > Stationery > New mail messages	Controls the default appearance for all original compositions.
Changing font for replies (Desktop)	File > Options > Mail > Stationery > Replying or forwarding	Allows you to differentiate your replies from the original message thread.
Changing font on the web version	Settings (cog) > View all > Mail > Compose and reply	Web and desktop settings are independent and do not sync.
Font in your signature is wrong	File > Options > Mail > Signatures...	Signatures store their own formatting and must be edited separately.

Common Problems When You Set Default Font in Outlook

Even with a straightforward process, you might encounter a few issues. Here are some of the most common problems and how to fix them.

My Font Changes Aren't Saving

This is the most frequent issue. The primary cause, especially in a corporate environment, is an administrative policy (often called a Group Policy) set by your IT department. These policies can enforce a standard company-wide font and will override any personal settings you try to apply. If your font reverts after restarting Outlook, contact your IT support. A simpler reason could be that you didn't click OK on both the "Signatures and Stationery" window and the main "Outlook Options" window. You must confirm the change in both places.

The Font Looks Different to My Recipients

When you send an email, you are only specifying which font the recipient's email client should try to use. If the recipient does not have that specific font installed on their computer, their system will substitute it with a default font. This is why it is crucial to stick to common, web-safe system fonts like Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Georgia, and Calibri. Avoid using obscure or custom-downloaded fonts, as they will almost certainly not appear correctly for others.

My Email Signature Still Uses the Old Font

Outlook's default font settings do not apply to your email signatures. Signatures are treated as separate items with their own stored formatting. To update the font in your signature, you must edit it directly. Go to File > Options > Mail > Signatures..., select the signature you want to change, and use the formatting toolbar in the "Edit signature" box to update the font and size manually.

My Settings Don't Sync Between My Laptop and My Web Browser

This is expected behaviour. The Outlook desktop application and the Outlook on the Web platform are two distinct applications that do not share cosmetic settings like default fonts. You must configure your font preferences independently on each platform you use to ensure a consistent experience.

Advanced Tips for Setting Your Default Font

Once you've mastered the basics, you can explore some of Outlook's more powerful formatting tools to further enhance your emails.

Understanding and Using Themes

In the "Personal Stationery" tab, you'll notice a "Theme..." button. An Outlook Theme is a more comprehensive set of design elements that includes fonts, colours, background images, and graphical effects. If you select a theme, it can override the individual font settings you just configured. If you want your font choices to be the absolute priority, ensure the theme is set to (No Theme). However, exploring themes can be a quick way to apply a professional and coordinated look to your emails if you find one you like.

Creating Custom Stationery

Stationery is essentially a template for your emails that can include a background colour, an image, and pre-set fonts. If you want every email to have, for example, a faint company logo in the background, you could create custom stationery. This is a more advanced feature, but it begins in the same Stationery and Fonts section. This is best for specific branding needs beyond just a font change.

Accessibility Considerations

When choosing a default font, consider the readability for all recipients. Sans-serif fonts (like Arial, Calibri, Verdana) are generally considered easier to read on screens than serif fonts (like Times New Roman). Ensure your chosen font size is at least 11pt. For font colour, use Automatic or a solid black against a white background to provide the highest contrast, which is essential for people with visual impairments.

How To Set Default Font In Outlook FAQ

Can I set a different default font for each email account in Outlook?

The default font setting in Outlook is application-wide; it applies to all accounts configured within that installation. There is no simple, built-in way to assign a different default font to each email account. The most common workaround is to create different email signatures for each account, as signatures can have unique fonts, and set Outlook to automatically apply the correct signature for the "From" address.

Why does my reply text automatically turn blue?

This is a default Outlook feature designed to visually distinguish replies in a long email chain. You can disable this by navigating to the font settings for Replying or forwarding messages and changing the Font colour from blue to Automatic or black.

How do I change the font for just one specific email?

The default font is just a starting point. When you are composing any individual email, you can always use the formatting tools in the message window (on the Message or Format Text tab) to change the font, size, colour, or style for any part of your text, just as you would in a word processor.

What is the best font for professional emails?

The best fonts are those that are professional, universally available, and easy to read. Excellent choices include Calibri (11pt), which is the modern Microsoft Office default; Arial (11pt), a classic and clean sans-serif; Verdana (10pt), known for its excellent on-screen readability; and Georgia (12pt), a serif font that is elegant and highly legible.

Final Checklist for Setting Your Default Font in Outlook

Before you close the settings, run through this quick checklist to make sure you've covered all the bases for a consistent and professional email appearance.

Set the default font for New mail messages in the desktop app.
Set the default font for Replying or forwarding messages in the desktop app.
Clicked OK on all open settings windows to save your changes.
Composed a new email to test that the new settings are active.
Replied to an email to test the reply/forward settings.
Updated your settings in Outlook on the Web if you use the browser version.
Checked and updated the font within your email signature(s) separately, if necessary.
Chose a common, system-safe font to ensure it displays correctly for recipients.