How to Change the Default Font in Microsoft 365

The Microsoft 365 productivity suite supports several types of font-default switching so that your Office documents present with your preferred look and feel without having to manually configure styles every time you create a new file.

Microsoft Word

To adjust the default styles used in a Word document, either create a new template or adjust your current default template.

Adjust the Template

1. Go to the Home tab, and right-click any style in the Styles group.

2. In the pop-up menu, select Modify.

3. In the Modify Style dialog box, make whatever adjustments you prefer.

4. At the bottom of the dialog box, select New documents based on this template to ensure that your style changes persist when you create new documents.

5. Select OK to save the changes.

Save the Template

For major changes to the defaults, open a blank document, and adjust the styles to meet your needs. When you save the document, you may (or may not, depending on how your copy of Word is configured) receive a request to update or overwrite the normal.dotx template. To save your changes as the new normal, proceed with the save. Otherwise, to create a separate template file for yourself:

1. Go to the File tab, then select Export.

2. Select Change File Type.

3. In the Change File Type list, select Template (*.dotx), then select Save As.

4. In the Save As dialog box, enter a filename, choose the folder where you want to store the template, then select Save.

In the future, open the normal.dotx template or the custom template you created to see your customized font and layout choices. When you save new documents made with the template, by default, the Save As dialog box appears. You won't overwrite the new template unless you specifically export it to a new DOTX file.

Microsoft Excel

Go the File tab, then select Options to open the Excel Options dialog box. From the General tab, go to the When creating new workbooks section and choose the font and size for your new default.

Microsoft OneNote

To change the OneNote default font, go to the File and select Options. Select the General tab and go to the Default font section to reset the font, size, and color.

Microsoft Publisher

From any blank Publisher document, go to the Home tab, then select Styles. A pop-up menu displays options to import or create a new style.

• To import, open a document that has styles associated — another Publisher file, or a Word document.
• To create a new style, give it a name, then change its parameters. Specify the font, text effects, character spacing, paragraph breaking, bullet and numbering formats, horizontal rule lines, and tab placement.

Additional styles may be new or based on one that you defined.

Microsoft PowerPoint

PowerPoint does not identify default fonts. Instead, fonts are associated with templates. Base your design off a template that meets your visual design needs. From the Design tab, select the Variants drop-down arrow to display customization options to the active presentation theme.

Microsoft Outlook

You must be configured to send email in HTML format to use the themes. Otherwise, your message will be written and received as plain text.

To set the Outlook defaults:

1. Go to the File tab, then select Options. 

2. Select the Mail section header.

3. In the Compose messages box, select Stationery and Fonts.

4. In the Signatures and Stationery dialog box, either select a defined theme or manually configure the font — including size and color — for new messages, replies, forwards, and plain-text composition.

5. Select OK when you're finished.

The Microsoft 365 User Interface

By default, Windows 10 does not offer functionality to change the user-interface elements of Microsoft products. Thus, Office apps use the same fonts for menus, buttons, and dialog boxes unless you install a third-party theming application.