How to Change Font in Outlook: New, Classic, Web and Mac

Fonts are a small detail that people notice more than you'd think. A tiny grey font is hard to read on a phone, a quirky script looks odd in a quote, and mismatched text in replies can make a thread look messy. If your business has brand fonts, you might want your emails to feel the same as your website and proposals.

Outlook lets you set a default font for the emails you write, and a separate one for replies and forwards. It also lets you make incoming emails bigger on screen, which is a different setting entirely. Here's how each works, according to Microsoft's help.

Two different Outlook font jobs

What you want	Setting to use
Change the font in emails you write	Default font under Compose or Stationery and Fonts
Make emails you receive easier to read	Zoom in the Reading pane
Change the font in one email only	The formatting toolbar while you write

Mixing these up is the main reason people think their font setting hasn't worked. A default font changes your outgoing messages, not how other people's emails look to you.

Changing the default font in new Outlook

1. Select the View tab, then View settings.
2. Select Mail, then Compose.
3. Under Message format, choose the font, size and style you want.
4. Select Save.

From then on, new emails start in your chosen font. Microsoft's page notes that new messages and replies or forwards can be set independently, so check both if your replies still look different.

Changing the default font in classic Outlook

1. Select File, then Options, then Mail.
2. Under Compose messages, select Stationery and Fonts.
3. On the Personal Stationery tab, select Font under New mail messages.
4. Choose the font, style, size and colour. A preview shows as you go.
5. Select OK.
6. Repeat with the Font button under Replying or forwarding messages if you want replies to match.
7. Select OK three times to close everything.

Microsoft says your new settings take effect immediately, so you can open a new email straight away to check.

Getting the classic Outlook font back to normal

If you've experimented and want to return to the standard look, Microsoft lists the default values as Font +Body, Font style Regular, Size 11 and Font colour Automatic. Put those back in the same Stationery and Fonts boxes and you're done.

Changing the default font in Outlook on the web

1. Select Settings, then Mail, then Compose.
2. Under Message format, set Compose messages in to HTML.
3. Choose your default font and size.
4. Select Save.

Microsoft says font changes only apply in HTML format, so if the font option looks greyed out, that HTML setting is almost certainly why.

Changing fonts in Outlook for Mac

On a Mac, select Outlook, then Settings, then Fonts. In the Default fonts section, select the Font button next to the composition style you want to change, pick your font and close the window. Menus vary a little between versions.

Fonts in the Outlook phone app

Microsoft's help says changing fonts when composing an email or reply is currently unavailable in the Outlook mobile apps. Emails you send from your phone use the app's own font, whatever you've chosen on your computer. Microsoft adds that it's working on matching the current font when you reply.

Making incoming Outlook emails bigger to read

If the issue is reading, not writing, use zoom. In new Outlook, select a message, then View, then Zoom, and use the plus or minus buttons. Select Reset to go back. In classic Outlook, use the slider at the bottom right of the Reading pane for one message, or select the percentage beside it, pick a size, tick Remember my preference and select OK to keep it for every email.

Choosing an Outlook font that works for your business

• Pick a plain, common font. Microsoft says that if the person you're emailing doesn't have your font, their mail program swaps in another one, so unusual fonts often don't survive the trip.
• Use a readable size for phones, where most emails get opened.
• Stick to dark text on a light background. Coloured text can look like a mistake.
• Match your signature to your main font. My guide to getting more from your email signature has more on that.

If you send regular updates to customers from Outlook, keep the font simple there too. My walkthrough on sending a newsletter from Outlook covers layout tips and when it's time to move to a dedicated newsletter tool.

Changing the font in just one Outlook email

Your default is only a starting point. While writing any email in Outlook on a computer, select the text you want to change and use the formatting options in the message window to pick a different font, size or colour for that email alone. It's useful for a heading in a longer update or a highlighted deadline. Keep it to one or two changes, though: an email with five fonts looks rushed rather than designed. Menus vary by version, but the font controls usually sit on the Message or Format text tab while you compose.

If your Outlook font keeps changing back

• Check you set both New mail messages and Replying or forwarding messages.
• In Outlook on the web, make sure Compose messages in is set to HTML.
• Remember that emails from your phone ignore your computer settings.
• If one recipient sees a different font, they probably don't have yours installed.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change the default font in new Outlook?

Select View, View settings, Mail, Compose, then choose the font under Message format and select Save.

Why do my Outlook replies use a different font?

Microsoft says new messages and replies or forwards are set separately. Set the font for both in your settings.

What's the default font in classic Outlook?

Microsoft lists the defaults as Font +Body, Font style Regular, Size 11 and Font colour Automatic.

Can I change the font in the Outlook app on my phone?

No. Microsoft says changing fonts when composing an email or reply is currently unavailable in the mobile apps.

Why can't I change the font in Outlook on the web?

Microsoft says font changes only apply in HTML format. Set Compose messages in to HTML under Settings, Mail, Compose.