Where to find font settings in Windows 10
Windows 10 stores font controls in two places depending on what you want to change. The Settings app handles system-wide fonts — the typeface Windows uses for menus, buttons, and file names. The individual programs — Microsoft Word, Chrome, Notepad — each have their own font menus for documents and web pages you create or view.
To change system fonts, open Settings by pressing Windows key + I, then go to Ease of Access on the left sidebar. Click Display. Scroll down to find Make text bigger. This slider enlarges all system text at once. Below that, you will see Advanced display settings — click it to access font-specific controls.
If you want to change fonts in a document or email you are writing, the font menu lives in the toolbar of that program, not in Windows Settings. Word, Outlook, and most browsers have a dropdown showing the current font name near the top of the window.
Key Takeaways
- System fonts (Windows menus and buttons) are changed through Settings > Ease of Access > Display, using the text size slider.
- Document fonts (in Word, email, or web pages) are changed using the font dropdown in each program's toolbar, not in Windows Settings.
- Windows 10 does not include a built-in font manager to install new fonts, but you can drag font files into the Fonts folder to add them.
- Changing system font size affects all programs at once, while changing document fonts affects only that specific file or program.
Changing system text size for all Windows menus
The fastest way to make Windows menus, buttons, and file names larger or smaller is the text size slider. Press Windows key + I to open Settings. Click Ease of Access on the left. Click Display. Under Make text bigger, drag the slider to the right to enlarge text or to the left to shrink it. The change takes effect when ready — you will see the text in Settings itself grow or shrink as you move the slider.
This slider affects system text everywhere: File Explorer, the Start menu, taskbar labels, and dialog boxes. It does not change the font itself, only its size. If you want a different typeface for system text, you need to go deeper into Advanced display settings.
If the slider alone is not enough, scroll down to Advanced display settings and click it. In the window that opens, look for Advanced sizing of text and other items at the bottom. Click that link. A new window will open with a dropdown menu showing percentages — 100%, 125%, 150%, and so on. Choose your size and click explore. Windows will ask you to sign out and back in for the change to take full effect.
Changing fonts in Word, email, and documents
Every document program has its own font menu. In Microsoft Word, the font dropdown sits in the toolbar at the top — it usually shows the name of the current font, like "Calibri" or "Arial". Click the dropdown arrow next to it to see all available fonts. Scroll through the list and click the one you want. The selected text (or all text if nothing is selected) will change when ready.
To change the font for text you have not yet typed, place your cursor where you want to start, click the font dropdown, choose your font, and then type. In Outlook email, the same dropdown appears in the message composition window. In Google Docs, the font menu is labeled "Normal text" by default and sits near the top left of the document.
If you want to change the default font for all new documents in Word, go to File > Options > Advanced. Scroll down to Show document content and look for Default font. Click the dropdown, choose your font, and click OK. All new documents will open in that font from then on.
Installing new fonts in Windows 10
Windows 10 comes with a set of standard fonts, but you can add more. Fonts are files with names ending in .ttf (TrueType) or .otf (OpenType). You can read them from websites like Google Fonts (fonts.google.com), DaFont, or Font Squirrel.
Once you have downloaded a font file, right-click it and select Install. Windows will copy it to the Fonts folder automatically. The font will then appear in the dropdown menus of Word, Outlook, and other programs within a few seconds. If it does not appear right away, close and reopen the program.
Alternatively, you can open File Explorer, navigate to C:\Windows\Fonts, and drag downloaded font files directly into that folder. Either method works. To remove a font, right-click it in the Fonts folder and select Delete.
Changing font color and style
Font color and bold, italic, or underline styling are separate from the font itself. In Word, Outlook, and most document programs, these controls sit next to the font dropdown in the toolbar. The B button makes text bold, the I button makes it italic, and the U button underlines it. Click any of them to toggle the style on or off.
To change text color, look for a button with an A with a colored bar underneath it. Click the small arrow next to it to open a color palette. Choose your color and click. The selected text will change to that color. If no text is selected, the color will explore to whatever you type next.
These styling options work the same way across Word, Outlook, Google Docs, and most web-based writing tools. They do not change the font itself — they change how the font appears on the page.
Troubleshooting fonts that do not appear
If you installed a new font but it does not show up in your programs, restart the program first. Most applications load the font list when they start, so closing and reopening them usually fixes the problem. If restarting does not work, restart your computer.
If a font you installed appears in the Fonts folder but not in Word or another program, check that the file is actually a font file. Right-click it and select Properties. The file type should say "TrueType Font File" or "OpenType Font File". If it says something else, it is not a real font and programs will not recognize it.
If text in a document looks wrong or uses a different font than you set, the document may have been created with a font that is not installed on your computer. Windows will substitute a similar font automatically, but it may not be the one you intended. To fix it, select all the text (Ctrl + A), choose your font from the dropdown, and save the document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the font of just the Windows Start menu without changing everything else?
No. Windows 10 does not allow you to change individual system elements separately. The text size slider and the advanced sizing settings change all system text at once — menus, buttons, file names, and dialog boxes. If you want different fonts in different places, you would need to use a third-party tool, but Windows does not support this officially.
What happens if I delete a font I installed?
The font disappears from all program dropdowns when ready. Any documents that used that font will switch to a substitute font the next time you open them. If you delete a font by mistake, you can reinstall it by downloading it again and dragging it into the Fonts folder.
Why does my document look different on someone else's computer?
If you used a font that is not installed on their computer, Windows substitutes a different one automatically. To avoid this, use only standard fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri, which come with Windows. If you must use a custom font, embed it in the document: in Word, go to File > Options > Advanced, scroll to Preserve fidelity when sharing this document, and check Embed fonts in the file.
Can I change the font size in Windows File Explorer?
Yes, but only by changing the system text size through Settings. File Explorer uses the same fonts as the rest of Windows, so adjusting the text size slider in Ease of Access will make file names and folder labels larger or smaller throughout File Explorer.
Do I need to restart Windows after installing a new font?
No. Restarting the individual program is usually enough — close Word or Outlook and open it again, and the new font will appear in the dropdown. If it does not, restart your computer. You do not need to restart Windows for most font installations.