To change Excel’s default font for future workbooks, set it in the desktop app’s preferences: on Windows, go to File > Options > General; on Mac, go to Excel > Preferences > General. Choose a font and size, confirm, then restart Excel. The change applies to new workbooks—not files you already have open. Excel for the web does not provide a whole-workbook default-font setting.
Change the default font in Excel for Windows
- Open File > Options.
- In the Excel Options dialog, select General.
- Under When creating new workbooks, choose the font and font size you want.
- Select OK, then close and restart Excel.
- Create a new workbook to use the setting.
This preference affects workbooks created after Excel restarts. It does not reformat an existing workbook, including one that was already open when you changed the preference. Microsoft’s instructions cover Excel desktop versions including Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, and Excel 2021 where listed: Change the default font in Excel.
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Change the default font in Excel for Mac
- On the menu bar, select Excel > Preferences.
- Under Authoring, select General.
- Choose a font in Default font and a point size in Font size.
- Select OK, then quit and restart Excel.
- Create a new blank workbook or worksheet to see the preference applied.
The setting does not change existing workbooks. Microsoft’s Mac support page describes Body Font at 12 pt and says it appears as Calibri 12 when entering data in a worksheet, header or footer, or text box; that description is specific to the guidance on that page, not a universal default for every Excel version or platform. See Change the default font in Excel for Mac.
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Excel for the web does not let you set a default font for an entire workbook. To change existing content, select the cells or range, then choose a font and size from the ribbon. Cells outside the selection keep their existing styling. Microsoft explains the available worksheet formatting options here: Change the font style and size for a worksheet.
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Use a template for a more customized starting workbook
If you want new workbooks to start with more than a font preference—such as theme fonts or other formatting—save a configured blank workbook as Book.xltx in Excel’s XLStart folder. Microsoft says Ctrl+N can then create a workbook from that template. On Windows, XLStart is typically C:Users<user name>AppDataLocalMicrosoftExcelXLStart. The location can vary by installation; if Excel does not use the template, check the XLStart location for your installation. Microsoft’s template guidance is at Customize a workbook template.
Set theme fonts
To define fonts used by a workbook theme, select Page Layout > Themes > Fonts > Customize Fonts, choose heading and body fonts, and save the font set. Save the current theme if you want to reuse it. Theme fonts affect text linked to the workbook theme; this is different from the desktop preference for the font in future workbooks. See Microsoft’s theme instructions.
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Use a template on Mac
For a reusable, preformatted starting point on Mac, Microsoft documents saving a template named Book.xltx in the Excel Start-up folder. This is an alternative when you want new workbooks to include broader formatting as well as a font: Create a template in Excel for Mac.
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