To change the default font in Excel, go to File > Options > General. Under When creating new workbooks, pick a font in Use this as the default font and a size in Font size, select OK, and then close and restart Excel. The new font applies to workbooks you create after the restart, not to files you already have.
These steps are for Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows and also match Excel 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016. Excel for Mac and Excel for the web have their own sections. Microsoft documents the setting in Change the font size and Change the default font in Excel for Mac.
What the Default Font Setting Changes
Every new workbook has a built-in cell style called Normal. Cells you haven’t formatted use it, and the default font setting decides which font and size Normal starts with. Changing it affects:
- New blank workbooks you create after restarting Excel.
- Every cell in those workbooks that you don’t format yourself.
- Column widths, which Excel measures in characters of the default font. A wider font makes the standard column fit fewer characters.
It doesn’t change existing workbooks, templates you download from File > New, or the fonts in Word, PowerPoint or Outlook. Each Office app has its own setting.
It also doesn’t affect the text in Windows menus, which is a separate setting covered in changing fonts in Windows 11.
How to Change the Default Font in Excel for Windows
- Open Excel and select File > Options. In a workbook, you can also press Alt, then F, then T.
- Select General in the left column of the Excel Options window.
- Under When creating new workbooks, open the Use this as the default font list and choose a font. Type the first letters of a font name to jump to it.
- Choose a size in Font size. You can type any size from 1 to 409, in multiples of 0.5, such as 10.5.
- Select OK. Excel shows a message that you need to restart Excel for the font change to take effect. Select OK again.
- Close every open Excel window, then open Excel again.
- Select File > New > Blank workbook and type in a cell. The font box in the Font group on the Home tab shows your new font and size.
The font list only shows fonts installed on your PC. To use a downloaded font as the default, install the font on Windows 11 first, restart Excel, and then choose it.
Body Font or a named font?
The top of the list includes Body Font, which means “use whatever body font the workbook’s theme sets.” Picking it lets the font follow the theme, so it changes if Microsoft updates the Office theme or if you apply a different theme. Picking a named font such as Calibri or Arial fixes the font, no matter which theme a new workbook uses.
What Is Excel’s Default Font?
| Version | Default font and size |
|---|---|
| Excel for Microsoft 365 for Windows | Aptos Narrow, 11 |
| Excel for Microsoft 365 for Mac | Body Font, 12 (Aptos Narrow in current builds) |
| Excel 2021 and earlier for Windows | Calibri, 11 |
| Excel 2021 and earlier for Mac | Body Font, 12 (Calibri) |
Microsoft switched the Office theme’s body font from Calibri to Aptos in 2023, and Excel uses its narrower cut, Aptos Narrow. A Microsoft MVP on Microsoft Q&A explains that Excel’s factory default is the theme’s body font, which is why the font changed on its own for many people.
To go back to the original, open the same box and pick Body Font or the font your version started with, then restart Excel. To keep Calibri even after the switch, choose Calibri by name.
Outlook has its own default for email, so you can change the font size in Microsoft Outlook.
How to Change the Default Font in Excel for Mac
- On the Excel menu, click Settings. In older versions of Excel or macOS this is called Preferences.
- Under Authoring, click General.
- Choose a font in Default font and a size in Font size.
- Click OK, then quit Excel with Command+Q and open it again.
New blank workbooks and worksheets use your settings. Excel for Mac starts with Body Font in size 12, and the change doesn’t affect existing workbooks. These steps apply to Excel for Microsoft 365 for Mac, Excel 2024 for Mac and Excel 2021 for Mac.
How to Use the New Font in an Existing Workbook
Old files keep their old font because the font is saved inside each workbook. You have three ways to switch one over.
Change the Normal style (whole workbook)
This is the most complete fix, because it also changes cells you type in later.
- Open the workbook.
- On the Home tab, in the Styles group, select Cell Styles. On a narrow window, select Styles first.
- Right-click Normal and choose Modify.
- Select Format, open the Font tab, choose the font and size, and select OK.
- Select OK in the Style dialog, then save the workbook.
Every cell that uses the Normal style switches to the new font. Editing a built-in style without renaming it updates that style itself. Cells you formatted with another font or another style keep their formatting.
Change the font on the whole sheet
- Click the Select All button where the row and column headings meet, or press Ctrl+A.
- On the Home tab, pick a font and size in the Font group.
The selected cells switch to the new font. Repeat this on each worksheet tab.
Move sheets into a new workbook
To give existing worksheets the new default, move them from the old workbook into a new one. Right-click a sheet tab, choose Move or Copy, select (new book) in To book, check Create a copy if you want to keep the original, and select OK. Cells that had a specific font set keep it.
Other Ways to Start With Your Favorite Font
Make a default workbook template
A template named Book.xltx in Excel’s startup folder controls every new blank workbook, including fonts, margins, headers and column widths. Microsoft’s Customize how Excel starts article explains it:
- In a blank workbook, set the font (the Normal style method above works best) and any other formatting you want.
- Find the startup folder: select File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Trusted Locations and note the path for the XLStart folder.
- Select File > Save As, and in Save as type choose Excel Template.
- Browse to the XLStart folder, type Book as the file name, and select Save.
- Restart Excel.
New blank workbooks now open from your template. To undo it, delete Book.xltx from the XLStart folder.
Save a personal template
Format a blank workbook, then save it as an Excel Template (*.xltx) in the suggested Custom Office Templates folder. Open it later from File > New > Personal. This is handy if you only want your font for certain kinds of files.
Create a font theme
On the Page Layout tab, select Fonts > Customize Fonts, choose a Heading font and Body font, name the set, and select Save. Apply it to any workbook from the same Fonts menu, and cells that use the theme’s body font change at once. Microsoft’s theme instructions show how to save the theme and include it in Book.xltx so it becomes the default.
Excel for the Web
Excel for the web can’t change the default font for an entire workbook. You can still select cells and change the font and size from the Font and Font Size boxes on the Home tab. To set a default, use the desktop app on Windows or Mac.
If the Default Font Doesn’t Change
- New workbooks still use the old font. Close every Excel window and reopen it. Excel only reads the setting when it starts.
- Some new files use a different font. Templates from File > New and a Book.xltx template carry their own fonts. Edit or delete the template.
- Your font isn’t in the list. Install it, then restart Excel. On a Mac, install it with Font Book.
- An old file types in Aptos Narrow. That workbook’s Normal style still uses Aptos Narrow. Modify the Normal style as shown above.
- The setting changes back. On a work PC, your IT department may set Office defaults by policy. Ask them before changing it again.
- Other people see a different font. If they don’t have your font installed, their Excel substitutes another one. Stick with fonts that come with Office for files you share.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why didn’t my new default font show up?
Restart Excel. The new default only applies after a restart, and only to workbooks you create afterward.
Does this change the font in Word or PowerPoint?
No. Each app has its own steps. PowerPoint uses the slide master, and Word uses styles.
If you want the same starting font in your text documents, follow the steps for setting a default font in Microsoft Word. Word saves its default through the document template, so changing Excel alone does not apply the preference there.
Why did my columns get narrower or wider?
Column width is measured in characters of the default font, so a larger or wider default font changes how much text fits in a standard column. See how column widths and row heights work in Excel for the limits.
More Excel Guides
- Which version of Excel am I using?
- How to fix a slow cursor in Excel
- Why Excel column labels are numbers instead of letters
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
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