Microsoft switched Outlook’s default font from Calibri to Aptos — a change that hasn’t pleased everyone. Some find Aptos “blurry” compared to Calibri’s crisp edges (a sentiment echoed across countless forum threads). The good news is that you can change it back or pick any font you prefer.
The path varies by version:
- Classic Outlook: File > Options > Mail > Stationery and Fonts
- New Outlook/Web: Settings > Mail > Compose and reply
- Mac: Outlook > Settings > Fonts
Outlook treats different message types separately — new emails, replies/forwards, and plain text each have their own font settings. You’ll need to configure each category if you want consistency across everything you send.
Why did Outlook’s font change?
Microsoft replaced Calibri with Aptos as the default across Office in 2023.
The company describes Aptos as more “expressive and inclusive” — though user reactions have been mixed. Many prefer Calibri’s sharper appearance and want to switch back.
The current default is 12-point Aptos in black. Both the font face and size can be changed permanently, and those changes stick until you decide otherwise.
How do you change the font in Classic Outlook?
Classic Outlook for Windows (versions 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365) offers the most granular control over typography.
The settings live deeper in the menu structure than newer versions, but they provide options the web-based apps simply don’t have.
Stationery and Fonts
- Click File in the ribbon
- Select Options
- Click Mail in the left sidebar
- Click the Stationery and Fonts button
- Under your desired category, click Font…
- Select font face, size, color, and style
- Click OK to close the font dialog
- Click OK to close Stationery and Fonts
- Click OK to close Outlook Options
Three separate OK clicks — Classic Outlook loves its nested dialogs.
Configuration categories
Each category controls a different type of message.
| Category | What it controls |
| New mail messages | Font for original outgoing emails you compose |
| Replying or forwarding | Font for your text when continuing threads |
| Plain text messages | Font for non-HTML messages (compose and read) |
New messages and replies/forwards are separate — you can use different fonts for each. Some people match their reply font to whatever the original sender used (keeping thread appearance consistent). Others prefer their signature font across everything.
Message list fonts
Classic Outlook also lets you customize the inbox display itself — the fonts used for subject lines, column headers, and message previews.
| Element | How to change |
| Access path | View > View Settings > Other Settings |
| Column headers | Column Font button |
| Subject lines | Row Font button |
| Message preview | Preview Font button |
This level of control doesn’t exist in New Outlook (more on that below).
How do you change the font in New Outlook?
New Outlook has a simpler interface but trades granularity for streamlined settings. The good news is that it takes fewer clicks, but the tradeoff is that you get fewer options.
Compose settings
- Click the Settings gear icon (top right)
- Select Mail from the left panel
- Click Compose and reply
- Find the Message format section
- Select your preferred font from the dropdown
- Adjust size, bold, italic, and color as needed
- Click Save at the bottom
Per-account settings
New Outlook applies default font settings at the account level.
If you have multiple email accounts configured (work and personal, for example), you’ll need to select each account and repeat the process. Settings don’t cascade across all accounts automatically — a quirk that catches many users off guard.
Message list options
New Outlook simplifies inbox font customization — perhaps too much for power users.
| Setting | Path |
| Access | Settings > Mail > Layout |
| Options | Small, Medium, or Large text |
| Granularity | No individual font selection |
One limitation worth noting is that New Outlook doesn’t support half-size fonts (like 11.5pt). You’re limited to whole numbers — 11 or 12, nothing in between.
How do you change the font in Outlook on the web?
OWA follows the same path as New Outlook (they share the same underlying codebase).
- Click the Settings gear icon
- Select Mail
- Click Compose and reply
- Find the Message format section
- Choose your font, size, and style
- Click Save
Settings sync between New Outlook and OWA — change it in one place, and it applies to both. Same limitations apply:
- No half sizes
- Per-account configuration
- Simplified message list options
How do you change the font in Outlook for Mac?
Mac has its own interface but similar functionality to the Windows versions.
- Click Outlook in the menu bar
- Select Settings (or Preferences in older versions)
- Click Fonts
- Click Font… next to your desired category (New mail or Reply/forward)
- Select font face, size, and style
- Click OK
- Close the Settings window
Mac also offers an Advanced tab for fine-tuning scale, spacing, and other typography effects — more control than the web versions provide.
A display size slider adjusts the main application font (separate from your composition font), which helps if Outlook’s interface feels cramped on high-resolution screens.
Why does my font keep reverting?
A common frustration — users change the font, but Aptos keeps reappearing. The culprit is usually Outlook’s two-tier default system.
Soft vs hard defaults
Here is how soft and hard defaults are different:
| Type | Definition | Location |
| Soft default | User-configured preferences | Stationery and Fonts settings |
| Hard default | Underlying template fallback | NormalEmail.dotm file |
The Stationery and Fonts settings are “soft” defaults — they apply to messages you compose. But Outlook has a “hard” default stored in a template file called NormalEmail.dotm.
When Outlook is uncertain which style to apply — particularly with “unstyled HTML” messages — it falls back to that hard default (Aptos).
The NormalEmail.dotm fix
For users frustrated by fonts reverting unexpectedly, editing the template file usually solves the problem.
- Navigate to %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates
- Open NormalEmail.dotm in Microsoft Word
- Modify the “+Body” font style to your preference
- Save and close the file
- Restart Outlook
This is an advanced fix — most users won’t need it. But if Aptos keeps appearing despite your Stationery settings, the template file is usually responsible.
What are the limitations?
Font settings have boundaries that users often discover the hard way.
| Limitation | Details |
| Recipient rendering | If recipients don’t have your font, their system substitutes |
| Unstyled HTML | Incoming HTML without explicit styling may show Aptos regardless |
| Per-account (New Outlook) | Must configure each email account separately |
| No half sizes (web) | OWA only supports whole number sizes |
| Admin lock | Registry/GPO deployment may prevent user changes |
Recipient rendering
The most important limitation: your chosen font only displays correctly if the recipient has it installed.
If they don’t, their email client substitutes a similar font — which may look nothing like what you intended. Stick to common fonts if consistent appearance matters:
- Calibri
- Arial
- Verdana
- Segoe UI
- Aptos (already installed with modern Office)
Incoming messages
You can’t control how incoming messages appear if the sender embedded specific fonts or styles.
Your default font affects your composition, not how you read other people’s emails. That distinction trips up many users who expect their font preference to apply everywhere.
What’s the difference between zoom and font size?
Two different settings that solve different problems.
| Aspect | Zoom | Default font size |
| Purpose | Temporary readability adjustment | Permanent composition setting |
| Affects | Current viewing session | All future composed messages |
| Classic access | Bottom-right slider in Reading Pane | Stationery and Fonts |
| Persistence | Must check “Remember my preference” | Always persistent |
Zoom helps readability in the moment — enlarging text while reading a specific email. Default font size affects every message you write going forward.
In Classic Outlook, zoom resets unless you check “Remember my preference.” New Outlook remembers zoom automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Here are some commonly asked questions about changing fonts in Outlook:
Fonts installed on most systems: Calibri, Arial, Verdana, Segoe UI, or Aptos (since it ships with modern Office). Unusual fonts may display differently — or not at all — on recipient systems. When in doubt, Arial is the safest choice (installed on virtually every computer made in the last 25 years).
Yes. Classic Outlook fonts can be managed via Registry keys (HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\MailSettings) or Group Policy. New Outlook requires PowerShell commands (Set-MailboxMessageConfiguration) since it’s web-based and doesn’t read local registry settings. Some organizations lock these settings entirely — if your font options are grayed out, that’s probably why.
No. Email signatures have separate formatting — changing your default composition font doesn’t automatically update your signature. You’ll need to edit the signature itself if you want matching typography.
