Change the default font Excel uses for all new workbooks

The quickest way to change Excel's default font is through the Options menu. Open Excel, go to File > Options > General, then look for the section labeled "When creating new workbooks." You'll see a dropdown that says "Use this as the default font" — click it and pick the font you want. Below that dropdown is another one for font size. Once you've made your choice, click OK at the bottom of the window. Every new workbook you create from that point forward will open in your chosen font.

This change only affects workbooks you create after you make the change. Workbooks you've already saved keep their original formatting — Excel doesn't retroactively change fonts in existing files.

Key Takeaways

  • The default font setting lives in File > Options > General under "When creating new workbooks."
  • You can set both the font name and the font size in the same menu.
  • Changing the default only affects new workbooks, not ones you've already saved.
  • If you want to change the font in a workbook that's already open, select all cells and use the font dropdown on the toolbar instead.
  • Excel remembers your default font choice across all future sessions until you change it again.

Where to find the font dropdown if you're working in an open workbook

If you have a workbook open and want to change the font for cells you're working on right now, you don't need to go into Options. Look at the toolbar near the top of the screen — you'll see a dropdown box that shows the current font name (usually "Calibri" or "Arial"). Click that dropdown and choose a different font from the list.

To change the font for the entire sheet at once, press Ctrl+A (or Cmd+A on Mac) to select all cells, then use that same font dropdown. The change applies only to that workbook and only to the cells you selected.

Why Excel has a default font and when you might want to change it

Excel ships with Calibri as the default font because it's designed to be readable on screen and in print, and it works the same way on Windows and Mac computers. But if you work in an industry that uses a different standard — accounting firms often prefer Arial or Times New Roman, for example — changing the default saves you from having to reset the font every time you start a new spreadsheet.

Changing the default is also useful if you share workbooks with colleagues who expect a specific font, or if you're creating templates that other people will use. When they open your template, it will already be formatted the way you intended.

The difference between changing the default and changing fonts in a template

If you create a template file and want it to always open in a specific font, you have two options. The first is to format the template itself — open it, select all cells, change the font, then save it. When someone opens that template, they'll see your chosen font.

The second option is to change your default font setting in Options, then create a new blank workbook and save it as a template. This way, the template inherits your default font automatically. The advantage of this approach is that if you later change your default font again, you can update the template to match without having to manually reformat it.

What happens when you open a workbook someone else created

When you open a file that was created by someone else, Excel displays it in whatever font the original creator used — not in your default font. This is by design: Excel preserves the formatting choices the creator made. If the file was created in Arial and you've set your default to Georgia, the file still opens in Arial.

If you want to change that file to your preferred font, select all cells and use the font dropdown on the toolbar. But remember that this change only affects your copy of the file. The next person who opens it will see the original formatting unless you save and send them your version.

Font choices that work across Windows and Mac

If you share workbooks with people on different operating systems, stick to fonts that come built-in on both Windows and Mac. Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, Courier New, and Georgia are safe choices — they look the same on both systems. Fonts like Segoe UI (Windows) or San Francisco (Mac) may not display correctly on the other system, and the recipient's computer will substitute a different font, which can throw off your formatting.

If you're not sure whether a font is universal, test it by sending a sample workbook to someone on the other operating system and asking them to check how it looks. That's more reliable than guessing.

Resetting Excel's font to the original default

If you've changed the default font and want to go back to what Excel started with, return to File > Options > General and look for the "Use this as the default font" dropdown. Click it and select Calibri, then set the size back to 11. Click OK. From that point on, new workbooks will open in Calibri 11 again.

This doesn't change any workbooks you've already created — it only affects new ones going forward. If you want to reset the font in an existing workbook, select all cells and manually change it back using the toolbar dropdown.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing my default font affect files I've already saved?

No. Your default font setting only controls what font appears when you create a brand new workbook. Files you've already saved keep their original formatting. If you want to change the font in an existing file, open it, select all cells with Ctrl+A, and use the font dropdown on the toolbar.

Can I set a different default font for different types of workbooks?

Not directly through the Options menu — Excel has one default font setting for all new workbooks. However, you can create templates with different fonts and open those templates when you need them. Save a formatted workbook as a template (.xltx), and it will always open with the fonts you chose.

What if someone opens my workbook and the font looks wrong on their computer?

They're probably missing the font you used. Ask them to check their font list (in the toolbar dropdown) to see if it's there. If it's not, you'll need to either send them the font file or resave your workbook using a universal font like Arial or Calibri that comes with all versions of Excel.

Does changing the default font affect charts or other objects in Excel?

No. The default font setting only applies to the cells in your spreadsheet. Charts, text boxes, and other objects have their own font settings. If you want to change the font in a chart, right-click the chart, select "Edit Chart," then change the font through the chart's formatting options.