Do you want your email to look special? Outlook is a convenient system, but its default fonts may be dull. If they no longer suit your needs, follow the steps below. Font customization is relatively easy.
You can increase text size in Outlook or change the style — the choice is yours. It is only limited by fonts installed in your machine. If you need something really fancy, you need to find it online and install it first. What you do next depends on your version of the mail client.
Scope of Changes
Do you need to change the look of one email? The parameters can be changed in the message window. To make all emails look the same, alter your system settings. Follow our roadmap to learn how to change font size in Outlook.
Change Font Size in Outlook 2010-2019
The following steps apply to all versions after and including 2010. Please note that in the 2010 version the screens and options may look a little different. However, you can still navigate the system easily. All the locations, buttons, and functions are shared by all subsequent versions. So, here, is what you should do.
Follow these steps to adjust the font size in an email you’re writing in Outlook:
- Highlight the text you’d like to adjust.
- In the Message tab, in Basic Text group, adjust the numbered drop-down box to your preference.
- Alternatively, in the Format Text tab, in the Font group, adjust the numbered drop-down box to your preference.
Follow these steps to adjust default font size for messages you are composing:
- Open the Options window from the File menu.
- In the category list on the left, choose the “Mail“.
- Press the “Stationery and Fonts” button on the right.
Now, you can assign the desired font to separate groups. Different settings may be chosen for new emails that you type, forwarded messages, replies, and plain text. Here is how this works.
- Changes to new messages mean that your default font will be replaced.
- Changes for replies and forwarding means that when you forward an email or reply to it, the font will change.
- With plain text, it is different: font changes apply to messages viewed by you. Other people will still see them as plain text.
- Clicking on each of the “Font” buttons opens an eponymous window. There, you may set special parameters for the body and headings, and view sample text. You may change the spacing on the “Advanced” tab.
- Clicking on the ‘Theme’ button at the top allows you to disable the current theme for HTML messages, or set a new one. The action opens a new window where you can view all available themes, pick one, or choose “No Theme” to disable it.
- Every theme includes a special font, sizing, color, and effects. Choosing a theme disables the choice described above, as all the properties are auto-defined.
- Click on OK on each of the open windows to close it. Now, your font preferences have been changed!
To increase the size of text while reading messages, you can adjust both the message list and the reading pane.
To adjust the message list:
- From the Mail tab, select View > View Settings.
- Select Other Settings…
- Select Column Font… and Row Font… and adjust these options based on your font preferences.
To adjust the reading pane:
- Click on the message you want to preview in the Reading Pane.
- In the bottom right corner of the Outlook window, adjust the zoom slider to fit your preference.
How to Change Font Size in Outlook 2007/2003
Generally, there are few differences in the process for earlier versions. If you want to change Outlook font settings, it is a matter of seconds. Just head to the Options menu and follow the same logic to save the changes.
- Access the Options through Tools.
- Choose the tab titled “Mail Format“
- Click on “Select Stationery and Fonts“.
- Make the necessary changes for different groups of new messages, including plain text. Please note that in these two versions these options are named slightly differently.
- Click OK to confirm and save the choice.
- Click OK to close the Options.
Important notes:
In the earliest version, stationery may override any fonts you choose manually. This happens if ‘Use this stationery by default’ is ticked. There are two ways to make Outlook font bigger, or modify its spacing, color, or style:
- to alter the stationery, or
- ignore it.
Sometimes, the system fails to apply your color settings for replying and forwarding. Setting up a default signature is a possible solution.
Changing Font on Outlook.com
The web version has limited functionality. The user may alter the Outlook text size and general appearance of emails they send, but the look of messages they read is unchangeable. So, to change the way other people see your emails, follow the steps below.
- Access all settings for the system via its “Settings“.
- From “Mail“, choose “Compose and reply“.
- Use the drop-down menu under ‘Message’ to make the changes.
- Pick the font to be used by default.
- Change its size, style, and color.
- Click “Save” to finalize the process.
The Bottom Line
These steps will enable you to increase font size in Outlook, switch between styles and colors in all versions of the system. Remember that if you want Outlook larger font.
For a single message, there is no need to change the settings for all emails. If you were wondering how to make fonts bigger in Outlook, you can see that it is easy to do. Unless you use the web client, all the parameters may be changed in seconds.
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