To change the default font in Microsoft Word on Windows, open the Font dialog from Home, choose your font and size, select Set As Default, and apply it to all documents based on the Normal template. On Mac, open Format > Font > Font, choose your settings, and select Default. Your desktop template defaults apply to future documents based on that template; on web and mobile, you can reuse a prepared document instead.
The short version
- Windows: Select Set As Default in the Font dialog and choose All documents based on the Normal template?.
- Mac: Choose your font in the Font dialog, select Default, and confirm with Yes.
- Existing files: Changing a template default does not automatically reformat unrelated documents.
- Web and mobile: Keep a prepared document and make a copy whenever you need the same font settings.
| Option | Best use | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Font dialog | Choose a font and size | Normal template or current document |
| Windows font shortcuts | Open the same dialog with the keyboard | Normal template or current document |
| Mac Font dialog | Choose a desktop default | Documents based on the default template |
| Modify Normal style | Set body text formatting | Current document or future template documents |
| Update Normal from text | Reuse sample text formatting | Current document, with a template save option |
| Manage Styles defaults | Set font defaults through styles | Microsoft 365 template documents on Windows |
| Theme fonts | Choose heading and body fonts together | Text linked to theme fonts |
| Edit Normal.dotm | Change the template directly | Future documents based on Normal |
| Windows custom template | Save a separate document setup | Documents created from that template |
| Mac custom template | Save a separate document setup | Documents created from that template |
| Web document copy | Start another document in OneDrive | Each copied document |
| Open in desktop Word | Access desktop default controls | Desktop templates, not web account defaults |
| iPhone or iPad document copy | Reuse prepared font settings | Each copied document |
| Reset Normal.dotm | Restore original template defaults | Normal defaults and other customizations |
| Template permissions | Fix a default that will not save | Windows Normal template |
| Disable interfering add-ins | Fix a default that reverts | Windows Word settings persistence |
| Administrator template distribution | Provide defaults to multiple users | Target users' Normal templates |
| VBA default method | Set defaults through a macro | Active document and template defaults |
| Windows startup switches | Start from a preferred template or document | Documents launched through that command |
Change the default font on Windows
In Word for Microsoft 365 or Word 2024 for Windows, open a document and select Home. In the Font group, select the dialog box launcher to open the font settings. You can also press Ctrl + D or Ctrl + Shift + F to open the same dialog.
Choose your font and size, then select Set As Default. Select All documents based on the Normal template?, then select OK twice. Your choice becomes the starting font for future documents based on Normal.
For a default that applies only to the open file, choose This document only? instead. Changing the template default does not automatically reformat unrelated existing files, and documents based on another template can retain their own defaults. Headings or passages with explicitly assigned fonts can also keep their formatting.
Set your preferred font on Mac
In Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac or Word 2024 for Mac, open Format > Font > Font. Alternatively, press Command + D to open the font settings.
Select your preferred font and size, then select Default. Choose Yes to confirm, then select OK. Your saved choice becomes the default for documents based on that template.
Set body text defaults through styles
In Word for Microsoft 365 or Word 2024 for Windows, open Home > Styles, right-click Normal, and select Modify. Under Formatting, choose your font and size. Select New documents based on this template, then select OK to retain the change for future documents using that template.
Choose Only in this document when you want the style change to stay within the open file. Modifying Normal changes text using that style and can also affect styles that inherit the attributes you changed. Separately formatted passages may keep their assigned fonts.
If you already have a sample of the formatting you want, select text using Normal and apply your preferred font and size. Under Home > Styles, right-click Normal and select Update Normal to Match Selection. To keep it for future documents, right-click Normal again, select Modify, choose New documents based on this template, and select OK.
In Word for Microsoft 365 for Windows, you can also start a blank document and open the Styles dialog box launcher under Home, or press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S. Select Manage Styles > Set Defaults, then choose the font and Size. Select New documents based on this template and OK. Close and reopen Word, selecting Yes if prompted to save Normal.
Choose heading and body fonts together
In Word for Microsoft 365 for Windows, open Design > Fonts and choose a font set. To choose each font yourself, select Customize Fonts, choose a Heading font and Body font, enter a Name, and select Save.
To retain the theme, open Design > Themes > Save Current Theme, name it, and select Save. Then select Design > Set as Default. Theme font changes affect text linked to theme fonts, while explicitly assigned fonts may remain unchanged.
Save a template for a separate document setup
A custom template lets you keep a particular font setup without making it the starting point for every blank document. Configure the document's font defaults before saving it as a template. If your document also needs layout changes, you can change margins in Word, double space in Word, or add page numbers in Word during preparation.
In Word for Microsoft 365 or Word 2024 for Windows, select File > Save As > This PC. Enter a File name, choose Word Template under Save as type, and select Save. Create future documents through File > New > Personal and choose your template; that category may be labeled Custom.
In Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac or Word 2024 for Mac, select File > Save as Template and enter a name under Save As. Under File Format, choose Microsoft Word template (.dotx), then select Save. Use File > New from Template and choose your template when you want those defaults.
Reuse your font settings on web and mobile
Microsoft's default-font instructions apply to desktop Word for Windows and Mac, while its mobile font controls format selected text rather than setting a default. Changing your desktop Normal template does not set the default for your web account or mobile app. As a workaround, keep a prepared document and create a copy before each new project.
In Word for the web, keep a document already formatted with your preferred font as your starting point, then select File > Create a Copy > Create a copy online to create a new copy in OneDrive. Use the copy for your new document and retain the original for reuse.
If you have licensed desktop Word, select Editing > Open in Desktop App from the browser. In Windows Word, open the Font dialog box launcher under Home, choose your font and size, and select Set As Default. Select All documents based on the Normal template?, then select OK twice.
On Mac, open Format > Font > Font, choose the font and size, and select Default. Select Yes, then select OK. This desktop handoff changes your desktop template defaults, not your web account's defaults.
On iPhone or iPad, open a document already configured with your preferred defaults and tap File > Save a Copy before editing. Choose a location, enter a file name, and tap Save a Copy. Return to the original whenever you need another document with the same starting settings.
Fix a default font that keeps reverting
If Windows Word does not retain your choice, first repeat the font-setting steps and select All documents based on the Normal template?. Choosing This document only? leaves future documents unchanged. Also make sure the new document uses the template whose defaults you changed.
Next, find Normal.dotm in File Explorer under C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates, replacing the user-name placeholder with your Windows user name. Right-click the file, select Properties, and open General. Uncheck Read-only, then open Security, select your name, verify Write permission, and select OK before retrying the font change.
An add-in can also prevent the setting from persisting. Open File > Options > Add-Ins, note the suspected add-in's Type, choose that type under Manage, and select Go. Uncheck the add-in's named checkbox and select OK, then set the default font again and re-enable add-ins as appropriate.
To restore Microsoft's original template defaults in Word for Microsoft 365 or Word 2024 for Windows, close Word and open the same Templates folder in File Explorer. Rename or move Normal.dotm, retaining the original as a backup, then restart Word so it creates a replacement. This resets other customizations stored in Normal too, so use it when you want to reset the template rather than simply choose another font.
Edit or distribute the Normal template
For direct template changes in Word for Microsoft 365 or Word 2024 for Windows, select File > Open. Browse to C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates and open Normal.dotm. Change its font formatting or styles, then select File > Save. Your changes apply to future documents based on Normal.
If you administer Word for Microsoft 365 for Windows, you can distribute a configured Normal template to other users. Rename %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Templates\normal.dotm to normal.dotm.bak to retain a backup, then open and close Word to generate a clean template. Reopen Word and open the new normal.dotm, configure its font and styles, save it, and close Word.
Before copying the configured file to the same path for target users, preserve their existing templates. Replacing Normal also replaces the customizations stored in it. Microsoft continues to direct administrators to this distribution method, although its detailed instructions sit in an archived documentation area.
Use macros or startup commands for repeatable defaults
If you already work with desktop Word VBA, format and select sample text with the desired font settings. Execute the following statement in a Word VBA macro, then save the attached template.
Selection.Font.SetAsTemplateDefaultThis method stores the default font formatting in the Normal style and applies it to the active document and new documents based on the active template. You can use it in desktop Word with VBA, including Word for Microsoft 365 and Word 2024 for Windows.
For a separate Windows startup route, prepare a template containing your preferred font defaults. In Word for Microsoft 365 or Word 2024 for Windows, press Windows + R and run the following command, substituting your template's actual path.
winword.exe /tC:\Templates\Preferred.dotxAlternatively, you can create a new document based on a prepared document. Run the following command with your starter document's actual path.
winword.exe /f "C:\Documents\Starter.docx"You can also use these switches in a desktop shortcut. They affect documents started through that command or shortcut and do not replace Normal globally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which keyboard layout do the Windows shortcuts assume?
Microsoft's Word shortcut instructions use the US keyboard layout. If you use a different layout, you can open the same controls through the menus instead.
Why do older instructions mention Change Styles on the Home tab?
That route belongs to Word 2010. Microsoft directs users of later versions to the newer theme controls, so the older menu instructions do not apply to current Word.
Can administrators set Word's default font directly through Group Policy?
Microsoft says there is no direct Word default-font Group Policy setting. Its administrator method instead distributes a configured Normal template.
Can you run the default font macro in Word for the web?
Word for the web cannot execute VBA macros. You need desktop Word with VBA to run the default-font method.
Does changing a font on mobile set a new default?
Microsoft's mobile font controls format selected text. Choosing a font there does not establish a global default for future documents.