Excel is an easy-to-use and intuitive spreadsheet application used by millions of users for complex data management and analysis. You can create fantastic reports and presentations using built-in tools and functions. While it offers a wide variety of customization options, one thing that often gets overlooked is the default font.
Do you also change the font every time you start working on a new workbook?
I know it is frustrating to adjust the font every time. Microsoft products use “Aptos” as their default font, but not everyone prefers it.
This is a quick guide about how to change the default font in Excel. It will help you impress friends and colleagues with fantastic Excel reports and presentations. Read the article till the end to learn how to make your Excel experience more personalized and efficient.
Quick Overview: Default Font In Excel
Whenever you open a new Excel and start typing, the font style is “Aptos” (“Calibri” in old versions) by default.
It has a massive impact on the overall look and feel of your spreadsheets. Simply put, it sets the tone of your entire workbook.
Font style also affects readability since some fonts have different sizes, styles, and colors.
You can easily change the default font in Excel to your preferred style without making any manual adjustments every time. In the following sections, we will take you through the steps to change the default font.
How to set the default font in Excel
Setting a default font in Excel is a straightforward process. You can customize Excel to automatically use your preferred font every time you create a new workbook.
It is quicker than manually changing the default font every time you open a new workbook. We discuss the steps to change the default font in the next section manually.
For now,
Let us learn the steps to change the default font forever in Excel.
- Open the Excel application on your desktop.
- Hover to the main menu and go to the “File” tab located on the top left corner of the screen.
- Scroll down and click on “Options”
- A new “Excel Options” dialog box will be opened, as shown in the image below
- Make sure you are in the “General” tab of the dialogue box
- Scroll down until you find the “When Creating new Workbooks” section.
- In this section, you will find options for Font and Font size. Click on the dropdown next to “Use this as the default font”
- Select your desired font from the available font styles
- You can also set the default font size by clicking on the dropdown adjacent to “Font size”
- Once you have selected your desired font, click on “OK” to save the changes
- Excel will send you a warning message saying you need to restart the application to apply the changes as shown below
- Click the “OK” button
Once you restart the computer or laptop, open Excel and try typing something to see if the default font is set correctly.
Next time onwards when you create a new workbook, it will automatically use the font style you have set as default.
NOTE:
- Changing the default font will only affect the new workbooks. The existing workbooks will remain unchanged.
- Ensure that you choose the font that complies with any formatting guidelines, if applicable.
How can I change the Default font in Excel manually?
Setting the default font means configuring the Excel settings so that every new workbook you create will automatically use your chosen font without needing to adjust it each time.
But sometimes, there are circumstances when you might want to change the font for specific sections.
In other words, you need temporary font adjustments in your workbook.
It is really easy to play around with fonts in Excel. There are thousands of built-in fonts in Excel. Users can leverage 512 maximum font types per workbook.
If you are looking to use multiple fonts, then here’s how to do it.
- Open the desired Excel workbook
- Select the range of cell(s) you want to modify
- Go to the “Home” tab in the main menu
- In the “Font” group, click on the dropdown as shown below to explore the list of available fonts
- Select your preferred font from the menu
That’s it! You have made temporary changes to specific sections of a workbook.
Benefits of Setting a Default Font in Excel
Excel provides many customization options to improve both the overall look and efficiency of a report or presentation created by you.
Adjusting font styles is one of the crucial aspects of boosting the aesthetics of any masterpiece designed for educational and entertainment purposes.
Spreadsheet applications like Excel boast thousands of built-in fonts of all styles.
Moreover, you can configure the default font as per your personal or organizational requirements.
- Consistency Across Workbook: When you set the default font, every new workbook will automatically use the font you’ve chosen, ensuring a consistent appearance. It also helps in maintaining a professional appearance which is important when sharing the file with colleagues and clients.
- Time-Saving: By setting a default font style, you eliminate the need to manually adjust the font appearance (style, size, type, etc.) each time you create a new workbook, saving you time and effort. It is an excellent way to focus more on your presentation rather than formatting.
- Improved Aesthetics: The right font can enhance the visual appeal of your Excel file. You can make it more engaging and easy to understand. Additionally, a carefully picked font helps the document look more polished and professional.
- Adherence to Brand Guidelines: If your organization has specific branding guidelines, then you may use a default font to ensure that you meet all standards.
FAQs: Change the Default Font In Excel
Q. Why do you need to change the default font in Excel?
Excel uses “Aptos” as the default font. It is a nice-looking font but sometimes we need to adjust it for a few personal or organizational requirements.
Changing the default font in Excel can be beneficial in many ways, such as:
- It ensures consistency across all new workbooks.
- It saves a lot of time by eliminating the need to manually adjust the font appearance (style, size, type, etc.) each time you start a new project.
- It enhances readability and makes your file more presentable and visually appealing.
- It helps streamline your workflow.
- It plays a crucial role in the branding of a company.
It is such a simple thing when we look at the advanced capabilities of Excel to organize and present data. Still, it has a lot of importance when creating a professional report.
Q. How do I lock a font in Excel?
Locking a font in Excel means preventing changes to the font style or size across a specific range of cells.
While Excel doesn’t have a feature for locking fonts, you can achieve a similar result by using the Cell protection feature.
Here are the steps to do it,
- Open the desired Excel sheet
- Select the range of cells you want to lock
- Right-click on the selected cells and select “Format Cells”
- A new dialogue box will appear on your screen
- Go to the “Protection” tab as shown below,
- Tick the box before the “Locked” option
(This will only work when the worksheet is protected)
Next, you need to protect the worksheet using the following steps,
- Click on the “Review” tab from the main menu.
- Select the “Protect Sheet” option as shown below.
- Provide a password to protect your worksheet
- Make sure that the “Protect worksheet and contents of locked cells” is checked
- Click the “OK” button to apply changes
After this, you and others with whom you have shared the Excel file won’t be able to adjust the font appearance (style, size, type, etc.) until they remove the protection using the passcode.
Q. What is the best font to use in Excel?
There are hundreds of fonts available for free in Excel. All of them are professional and attractive so you can try any of them.
As of 2024, the most popular Excel fonts are as follows:
- Segoe UI
- Fira Code
- Verdana
- Helvetica
- Source Code Pro
You can follow the steps discussed above to view and add these fonts to your worksheet.
Q. What is the normal font in Excel?
Calibri is the standard font for most modern versions of Excel, ensuring readability and a clean appearance.
You can change the same using the steps discussed in this article.
To Summarize: How to change the default font in Excel
Thanks for reading the article till the end. Changing the default font style in Excel is pretty straightforward.
You can either set the default font permanently or change it from time to time based on your requirements.
Feel free to comment below if you are stuck somewhere or having any particular issue; our team will reply to you as soon as possible.
For more tips and tricks to use Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets like a pro, make sure to explore our blog section.