We get two types of questions about font handling in Outlook:
How do I change the default fonts?
Why is Outlook using [some font] instead of the one I set as default
Outlook 2007 and up have two places where fonts are set: in Stationery and Fonts and in the Body style. Most people select a specific font in Stationery and Fonts without realizing that there are some features that use the Body style.
Changing the Font in Stationery and Fonts
Changing the default font is easy: go into Options, click the Stationery and Fonts button to open the Stationery dialog then pick a different font.
The font for new mail messages is used when composing HTML email or typing notes in calendar, contacts, and tasks items. The font for composing and reading plain text messages is also used when 'read as plain text' is enabled. You can select a Theme (stationery) to use, if desired, but stationery may have font assignments which override the settings here.
To change the fonts in Outlook 2010 and up, you'll need to go to File, Options, Mail. The Stationery and Fonts button is near the top of the dialog. In Outlook 2007 and earlier, you'll go to Tools, Options, Mail format tab, Stationery and Fonts button.
These options won't change the font assigned to +Body style in Outlook 2010 or Outlook 2007 and this Body style is what causes most of the "font confusion" in Outlook.
The +Body Style
Is there any benefit to changing the body style instead of just assigning a new font in Stationery and Fonts?
Yes and No.
No, because while theoretically, changing the style should update all items using the generic body style, but I have yet to find any saved items that use the generic body style. You can change the style while composing and it changes font used in the entire message, but I see more questions from people who want to change the style in saved items.
Yes, because it eliminates a lot of confusion when Outlook uses an unexpected font. For example, when you use a signature, Outlook adds a line break at the very end of the message and it will always use the +Body style. The +Body style may also be used when inserting Quick Parts. It can also play a part in replies using an unexpected font.
Tip: When troubleshooting font issues, use different fonts for each element and choose fonts and font colors or sizes that will standout.
Changing the +Body Style
In order to change the +Body style, you need to change the font used by the style.
From a new message form, switch to the Format text tab and expand the Change Style button. Choose your preferred fonts (and colors & spacing, if desired), creating a custom theme if necessary.
Note that Paragraph Spacing is not active unless the cursor is in the message body.
When you are finished with your selections, click on Set as Default to set this as your +Body style in all new messages, as well as in the notes field in Contacts, Calendar, and Tasks. (Outlook's colored "sticky" Notes have their own font settings.)
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Hsu Yao Chang says
Hi, I have font changed question as below, would it be possible to give suggestion about it? Thanks a lot.
I have a user that sends mails with default font Arial size 12 but when the mail is sent it changes automatically to Arial size 10.
So the user is typing with Arial 12 but when it's sent it's Arial 10.
TS Steps:
Windows 7 SP1 Outlook 2010 Version: 14.0.7128.5000
Additional information:
I use Windows 10 system to test the email, it's normal. Does it bug for Windows 7?
Kar Weng Chew says
Hi , the text in the e-mail signature set in outlook for browser does not have double spacing but when an email is sent to outlook desktop version, it shows up with double line spacing? help
Michele says
I just received a new hard drive at work. With my old hard drive, I had the font in Outlook set and my Quick Steps would work with my defaulted font. With the new hard drive, I can no longer get the Quick Steps to accept any defaulted font. I have tried every trick I can find on Google, but nothing helps. HELP PLEASE!!!!
Diane Poremsky says
It's not so much making QS use the font, but the font needs to be set as default... that's what QS uses.
What did you do to set the font in Outlook? What steps have you tried so far?
Does everything - signatures, note fields, etc, all use the font you selected? (If not, you didn't set the default font correctly.)
Michele says
I have the font I want set everywhere. Everytime I try to set it by opening a new message & creating my customized Font, it won't keep my 14 size font. It takes everything back to 11 in QS.
Alan says
Hi, a related problem I have is that although I have set the templates, fonts, quick styles for new emails, and all is OK, when I reply to a message this all changes to a very diferent set of quick styles.
My original names for the quick style are present but for example where I had set Verdana font in my first quickstyle it is now Times New Roman.
I can reset that tby clicking through Change Styles>StyleSet>reset style from template but this is labourious and there should be a way to ensure that the template format and quickstyles stay as I as the user has dedsignated.
Using Windows 10 and Outlook 2010.
Thanks.
Diane Poremsky says
Outlook will use the style used in the message when you reply - look in file, options, mail - stationery and fonts to set it to use your fonts.
Gary says
Can you please help me with the formatting in the Notes box for contacts in Outlook 2013: most of my notes are formatted using a true type font such as calibre 11 and the formatting stays formatted after syncing my iPhone. However, a few contacts say the formatting is Body+ theme font: whenever I sync with my iPhone the changes for these contacts are not saved. How do I change the formatting to a 'true type font' (assuming this is causing the issue). Thank you.
Diane Poremsky says
I'm not sure its the problem, but i have a macro at https://www.slipstick.com/developer/change-font-outlook-item-notes-field/ that will change the font on existing items - it's the last macro in the article.
You can change the +Body assignment, but can also change the setting in Outlook to use a specific font instead of the Body font. To do this, do the opposite of what the article says - In stationery and fonts, pick a specific font, not the +Body style.
Cristian Zamora says
Is there any way that the formatting of text can be changed for all existing appointments.
I'm using GSSMO from Google to sync to Outlook and all the appointments created in the Outlook calendar are in a Calibri 13.5 font, have some wacky spacing and when I try to paste into that calendar, no matter what settings I make in Outlook options, everything is pasted in as Times New Roman 10.
Diane Poremsky says
The last macro on https://www.slipstick.com/developer/change-font-outlook-item-notes-field/ works on selected items (any Outlook item type) - select all then run the macro.
Joseph Cralle says
Windows 7 Pro, Service Pack 1. iCloud Outlook Add-In continues to disrupt my outgoing email so I keep it inactive, re-enabling only occasionally and briefly to sync revised Contacts to my iPhone. Safe Mode is un-configurable so that's not a regular-use option. Your posting "icloud-and-outlook-problems" notes that Outlook 2013 is not supported by iCloud, so upgrading entire Office is not a solution. I continue to rely on Word 2003 and Excel 2003, having upgraded only Outlook to 2007. Thanks for asking.
Diane Poremsky says
I need to update that - it was referencing an older version. Outlook 2013 *is* now supported by iCloud, for about a year and a half, if not longer. Do you have the latest build of icloud installed?
Joseph Cralle says
Done and Wow! That seems to do it. Thanks, Diane. Am I the only person still using Office 2003? Crisp & clean: who needs ribbons?
Diane Poremsky says
I haven't seen any stats on usage, but people on 2003 are slowly migrating to 2013 as they get new computers. My best guess is it's split around 40% each for the two newest with 2013 higher than 2010, around 15% for 2007 and slowly dwindling numbers for 2003. There are still people using 2000... so 2003 won't be going away completely any time soon.
Safe mode worked? If you have addins, it could be one of them, otherwise it's one of the support files in one of the two Microsoft\Outlook folders under the user account. What OS are you using?
Todd says
Hello, when I change the font for replying and forwarding messages in Outlook 2010, the new setting stays until I exit Outlook or re-boot my computer. Then it reverts back to the Arial 10 Default Font. Is there a way to get it to stay with what I change it to all the time?
I use Outlook 2010.
Thank you,
Todd
Diane Poremsky says
I'm assuming there aren't updates waiting to be installed, as they would be installed when you reboot... I have noticed that changes to outlook options don't often stick if there are updates waiting to be installed - windows apparently makes a copy of the registry when it downloads updates and uses that when it installs them on reboot. Once i figured that out i started restarting outlook as soon as i made a change. If updated were waiting, I rebooted first.
Rani Singh says
Hello Tod,
There are multiple users who are facing similar issue as yours. The font color in outlook returns to default after rebooting or exiting outlook. Did you find the cause/solution for this issue?
@Diane - Do you have any suggestions as why outlook displays such behavior? I tested it on my machine and it worked as expected. But why certain group of people are facing this issue?
Diane Poremsky says
It sounds like something is restoring old settings - one cause is Windows updates waiting for a reboot, but there are more, including corrupted templates or other files. Did you try repairing the office install?
Joseph Cralle says
Re: Outlook 2007
Tools | Options | Mail format | Stationery and Fonts: changes do not "stick."
Similarly (related?), in a new message: Format Text | Styles: is greyed out.
Help, please?
Diane Poremsky says
Styles would be grayed out if the message is plain text. That shouldn't prevent the changes to the settings from sticking though.
What type of email account are you using? Do you have the entire office 2007 suite or are you using different versions of outlook and word?
Joseph Cralle says
Ah ha. Could that be it? I'm using Outlook 2007 and Word 2003. (I've tested updated Word versions and see no benefit: merely changing interface and adding useless ribbon toolbars confuses rather than enhances functionality.)
Diane Poremsky says
Yes, you need the same version of Outlook and Word. Try this: copy winword.exe to the folder where outlook.exe is. It doesn't actually have to be the real winword.exe - you just need a file called winword.exe to trick outlook. This will bring back most of the missing features.
John Batts says
I routinely receive email messages from Asian countries, and often this causes a subtle change in the body formatting. What happens is that, as I type my words, if a word is too long to fit on a line, rather than defaulting to hyphenating the word or moving it to the next line, Outlook will just continue the word on the next line. If I go up to Change Styles, Style Set, Reset to Quick Styles from Template, the situation corrects itself and the words appear as expected in the body.
I tried to do what is described above, saving the default +Body text style, but that didn't correct the issue. I still had to go through the formatting steps referenced above. Is there any way that the "Quick Style from Template" can simply be the default and Outlook never assume that I want my English response formatted as if I was typing Asian characters?
:)
Thank you,
--John Batts
Diane Poremsky says
no, sorry. It uses some of the settings of the original message - it's usually worse if the sender used stationery.
Beverly Hall says
Actually 2010 was offered by Comcast so it didn't require a disk but I did have to backup some files and I've forgotten how to do all of it. Just hate really tiny fonts.
Diane Poremsky says
Ah-sounds like a download of 'standalone' outlook.
Beverly Hall says
Good morning Diane. I do have the entire suite. I used to use Outlook 2010 but when I got a new computer, our guy didn't have 2010 so I'm stuck with 2007. If i could remember how to install 2010 I'd do it again.
Diane Poremsky says
You'd need a cd to install Office 2010... I'll try to repro it on an office 2007 box.
Beverly Hall says
Diane...When trying to reset my default font in my Contacts, it will not let me. It is grayed out. I can't expand the Styles box either. If I use Stationary/Fonts it just changes on new emails. I use Outlook 2007. I also can't get my new email messages to auto complete/give choices when sending new emails. I have to go through the address book. It used to work now I have to search for it.
Diane Poremsky says
Do you have the entire Office 2007 suite installed or just Outlook 2007? Some features don't work correctly if you don't have the full suite.
Anthony says
Hi Diane, did you ever find out if you can propogate this to multiple users? I can't work out which file the +Body style gets added to, so I don't know which file to share.
Thanks
Diane Poremsky says
As far as I know, it's stored in the email template.
Rox says
hello I have notes on my contacts and for some reason though they say Arial 11, they are huge to view on my screen. I have to change each one to Arial 8 just to be able to read one word and still it looks like a font 36 on my screen. any idea of what this might be and how to change the appearance of the notes on over 500 contacts?
Thank you very much
Diane Poremsky says
Which version of outlook? If you select the text and the font says 11 but its huge, then the zoom is set. changing the zoom to 100% should change it for all. open one contact and look for the zoom button on the ribbon or hold ctrl and roll the mouse wheel when the cursor is in the notes field.
Paul says
Hello Diane and thank you very much for the description! I was able to change the default font of new signatures from Calibri to Arial. Unfortunately the changing of the default font _size_ doesn't work in the same way, doesn't it? Do you know a way to change the signature default font size?
Best Regards,
Paul
Bob Sundquist says
I also have this problem, I haven't found any way to change to default font size. Is there a solution for this?
James Ward says
Handy to know, thank you. Is there a way to automate this across our organisation though?
Thanks in advance,
James
Diane Poremsky says
You can push out a new email template to users. If you go the macro route, you'd need to replace the OTM file that stores the macro, which would replace any macros users already have.
Rahoel says
And how can this be done using VBA
Diane Poremsky says
If the commands are exposed in Word VBA object model, you can change it by referencing word. Otherwise you'll need use command bar id's or use sendkeys.
LukeD says
Hi, do you by any chance know if and how these default +Body styles can be propagated to other domain users? Not the Stationery and Fonts setting but the ones under Format text -> Change style.
Thx
Diane Poremsky says
Good idea. Let me check... I don't see it in the registry, so it must be in the normal email template, which could be pushed out to users in a log on script.