How To Change the Default Font in Outlook: Step‑by‑Step Guide

Changing the default font in Outlook does more than make your email look nicer. It sets the tone for every message you send, helps with readability, and can even affect how professional your emails appear to colleagues and clients.

Outlook runs on different platforms—Windows, Mac, web, and mobile—and each handles default fonts slightly differently. The steps you follow, and the options you see, depend heavily on which version you’re using.

This guide walks through how the feature works, where to find the settings, what varies between devices, and what to watch out for when you pick a new default font.

What “Default Font” Means in Outlook

In Outlook, the default font is the text style Outlook uses automatically when you:

• Compose a new email
• Reply to or forward a message
• Write or format items like plain-text messages (if you use them)

Your default font normally covers:

• Font family (e.g., Calibri, Arial)
• Font size
• Style (bold, italics)
• Color
• Effects (underline, etc., mainly on desktop)

On some platforms (especially Outlook for Windows), you can set different defaults for:

• New messages
• Replies/forwards
• Plain-text messages

On others (like Outlook mobile), you may have no default font control at all, or only limited formatting that gets applied while composing, not as a global default.

How to Change Default Font in Outlook on Windows (Desktop App)

This is where Outlook gives you the most control.

Outlook for Microsoft 365 / Outlook 2019 / 2016 on Windows

1. Open Outlook on your PC.
2. Go to the File tab in the top left.
3. Click Options.
4. In the left pane, select Mail.
5. In the “Compose messages” section, click Stationery and Fonts….
6. You’ll see three sections:
   • New mail messages
   • Replying or forwarding messages
   • Composing and reading plain text messages
7. For each section, click Font… and choose:
   • Font family (e.g., Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman)
   • Font style (regular, bold, italic)
   • Size (e.g., 11, 12)
   • Color and effects as needed
8. Click OK to close each Font window, then OK again to save settings in Outlook Options.

From now on, new messages (and responses, if customized) will use your chosen defaults.

Plain Text vs HTML on Windows

• If you compose in HTML or Rich Text, Outlook uses your chosen default fonts and formatting.
• Plain text emails cannot store font formatting. Your “plain text default font” only controls how you see those messages in your own Outlook, not how others receive them.

How to Change Default Font in Outlook on Mac

Outlook on macOS has similar controls but in a different place.

New Outlook for Mac (Microsoft 365 / Recent Versions)

1. Open Outlook on your Mac.
2. In the menu bar, click Outlook > Settings (or Preferences in some versions).
3. Look for Fonts or Composing (label depends on build).
4. Under Fonts, you’ll typically see settings for:
   • New mail
   • Reply or forward
   • Plain text
5. For each, choose your preferred:
   • Font family
   • Size
   • Style (bold, italic)
   • Color (where available)
6. Close the settings window; changes are usually applied automatically.

Legacy Outlook for Mac (Older Interface)

If you’re using an older layout:

1. Go to Outlook > Preferences.
2. Click Fonts.
3. Adjust fonts for:
   • New mail messages
   • Replying or forwarding
   • Plain text
4. Close the dialog to save.

As on Windows, plain text settings affect how you view plain-text messages, not how they’re delivered to others.

How to Change Default Font in Outlook on the Web (Outlook.com and OWA)

If you access Outlook in a browser (Outlook.com or Outlook on the web for Microsoft 365), the controls live in the web settings.

1. Open Outlook.com or your organization’s Outlook on the web.
2. Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top right.
3. At the bottom of the side panel, click View all Outlook settings.
4. Go to Mail > Compose and reply.
5. Find the section labeled Message format or Message font (names vary slightly).
6. Set your default:
   • Font family
   • Size
   • Style (bold/italic)
   • Color
7. The preview box shows how your new default will look.
8. Click Save.

This will apply whenever you compose a new email or reply in that web account.

Note: These settings are stored server-side, so they’ll stick as long as you’re using that account and web interface, regardless of which computer you’re on.

Can You Change Default Font in Outlook Mobile?

On Outlook for iOS and Android, the options are much more limited:

• You can apply formatting (bold, italic, lists, sometimes fonts) while composing.
• Most mobile versions don’t offer a global default font setting the way desktop and web do.
• Often, the mobile app uses a simple, consistent font designed for readability on small screens.

If you see a formatting bar above the keyboard, you might change font size or style per message, but not as a permanent default.

Key Variables That Affect How Default Fonts Work

Changing the default font sounds simple, but the actual behavior depends on several factors:

1. Outlook Platform and Version

Each platform exposes different font settings:

Older builds or “classic” vs “new” interfaces can rearrange where these options appear.

2. Message Format (HTML vs Plain Text)

• HTML format supports full font styling, colors, and sizes.
• Plain text strips out all fonts, colors, and rich formatting.
• If someone sends you plain text, your reply might:
  • Stay in plain text and use your plain text view font, or
  • Switch to HTML only if you change formatting or your settings allow it.

So your default font choice matters most when you’re working with HTML messages.

3. Organization Policies and Admin Settings

In business or school accounts, administrators can:

• Enforce certain message formats (e.g., always HTML, never rich text).
• Configure default templates or signatures that include specific fonts.
• Use transport rules that can alter or standardize outgoing messages.

Even if you pick a font locally, the final email may be re-formatted by server-side rules or by the recipient’s email client.

4. Recipient’s Email Client

You can specify a default font, but:

• The recipient’s email client may not have that font installed.
• Many clients will substitute a similar font if the exact one is missing.
• Some security-focused or minimal clients might strip custom styling, especially if they convert everything to plain text.

This is why common web-safe fonts (like Arial, Verdana, Times New Roman, Georgia) are often used for professional email—because they’re widely available and behave predictably.

5. Accessibility and Readability

Your ideal default font also depends on:

• Screen size your recipients are likely to use
• Whether they have visual impairments
• The tone you want (casual vs formal)
• How much text density your typical messages have

Factors like contrast, font weight, and size can make the difference between an email that’s easy to skim and one that’s tiring to read.

Different User Profiles, Different Outlook Font Setups

The “right” way to set a default font in Outlook can vary quite a bit depending on who you are and how you use email.

The Corporate User

• Priority: Professional look, compatibility with branding.
• Likely to:
  • Use fonts that match corporate identity (if allowed).
  • Keep settings in Outlook desktop aligned with Outlook on the web so messages look consistent from any device.
  • Respect IT policies that may override personal preferences.

The Freelancer or Small Business Owner

• Priority: Personal brand + readability.
• Might:
  • Choose slightly more distinctive yet still common fonts.
  • Tune signature settings and default fonts to look similar in desktop and web.
  • Test how emails appear in different clients (e.g., on phones, Gmail, Outlook).

The Power User

• Priority: Precision and control.
• Often:
  • Sets different defaults for new emails vs replies to visually distinguish them.
  • Uses specific fonts and sizes in plain text view for maximum legibility.
  • Tweaks defaults across Windows, Mac, and web so their messages behave consistently.

The Minimalist or Casual User

• Priority: Simplicity and ease.
• Typically:
  • Leaves fonts close to Outlook’s default options.
  • Might only change the size slightly for personal comfort.
  • Relies on the app’s defaults across devices rather than hunting for matching settings.

Where Your Own Setup Becomes the Missing Piece

Outlook gives you many ways to change the default font—but which settings you can adjust, and how much control you actually have, depend on:

• Whether you mainly use desktop, web, or mobile
• Your Outlook version and whether you’re on a personal or work/school account
• Any IT or admin policies that shape or override your choices
• The clients your recipients use and how strictly they handle email formatting
• Your own priorities: branding, readability, minimalism, or strict consistency

Once you know how Outlook handles fonts on each platform and the variables that can change the outcome, the final step is looking at your specific mix of devices, accounts, and typical recipients to decide which default font settings make the most sense for you.