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How to Change Gmail's Default Font Options

Make your emails unique with custom options

By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 26, 2021 Reviewed by Jon Fisher Reviewed by Jon Fisher Wichita Technical Institute Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Email Gmail Yahoo! Mail

What to Know

In Gmail, select the Settings gear, choose See All Settings, and then go to the General tab.Under the Default text style section, select the Font drop-down menu and choose a new typeface.Use the Size and Color drop-down menus to make other changes. Select Save Changes. This article explains how to change Gmail's default font options. It includes information on making on-the-fly changes using the formatting bar at the bottom of the composition window.

How to Change the Gmail Default Text Settings

With the Gmail default text options, you can get your message across. When you want your communications to include a bit more pizzazz, change the text options to something that better reflects your personality. Do it for an individual message or change the defaults, so Gmail uses your preferences every time. Use the Gmail General settings to change the default text Gmail uses when you compose email messages. When you change the settings, you choose the typeface, size, and color of the text. After you save your changes, every email you send uses those styles unless you change them again. Open Gmail. In the upper-right corner, select the Settings (gear) icon. Choose See All Settings. Select the General tab. Under the Default text style section, select the Font drop-down menu on the far left and choose a new typeface. Sans Serif is used by default. Select the Size drop-down menu to the right to change the size of the default text. You can choose between Small, Normal, Large, and Huge. Normal is the default setting. Select the Color drop-down menu to the right to access the color picker. Choose any color you like. Black is the default color. The furthest command to the right of this bar is Remove formatting, which returns Gmail to the default text options. Select it if you want to start the process over. Scroll to the bottom of the Settings screen and select Save Changes to set the new default text options.

Use Formatting Bar Options

After you set your preferences as the new default, you can still modify the way text appears in an individual email message by using the formatting bar at the bottom of the email composition screen. No matter how you set the defaults, everything is editable in the window where you send an email. This is true whether it's a new message or a reply or forward. Open a new message. The text formatting bar appears at the bottom of the composition area, above the bar with the Send button. Select your recipient and enter a subject and your message. Highlight the message text. Make selections using the formatting bar. For example, change the text to be Huge (size), Bold (font), and Comic Sans MS (typeface). There are some controls here that aren't included in the default settings. For example, you can align text left, right, or center or add bullets. Make any other adjustments you'd like and then select Send. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Add an Image to Your Gmail Signature Set Up an Out-of-Office Vacation Response in Gmail How to Change Your Gmail Signature How to Set up Your Hotmail Signature in Outlook.com How to Change the Default Font and Size in Outlook How to Add a Preview Pane to Gmail How to Change Gmail's Language Default How to Remove the Email Signature From Gmail How to Unsend a Message in Gmail How to Change the Default Sending Account in Gmail How to Add A Picture To Your Gmail Profile How to Send a Reply and Archive With One Click in Gmail How to Modify Text Size in Internet Explorer How to Delete Emails With a Keyboard Shortcut in Gmail How to Go to the Next or Previous Message in Gmail How to Change Gmail's Font Settings Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies