How To Change The Font Size In Outlook

Adjusting the font size in Outlook can make reading and writing emails much more comfortable, whether you have trouble seeing small text or simply prefer a different visual style. This guide will show you how to change the font size for new emails, replies, forwards, and even how messages appear in your reading pane and message list. We'll cover the main settings to help you customize your Outlook experience for better clarity.

Fast Answer

For composing emails: File > Options > Mail > Stationery and Fonts...
For reading pane (temporary): Ctrl + Mouse Wheel (zoom)
For message list text: View tab > View Settings > Other Settings... > Row Font

5-10 minutes Time needed

Easy Difficulty

System-wide changes Watch out for

Before You Start

You need an active installation of Microsoft Outlook (desktop application) on a Windows computer. The steps might vary slightly for Mac or web versions.
Basic familiarity with navigating menus in Outlook is helpful.
Understanding that some font size changes affect only specific parts of Outlook, while others might affect your entire computer's display.

Check first: Be aware that changing default font sizes for composing emails will affect all new messages you write. If you frequently send emails to others, choose a font size that is easy for most people to read, typically between 10 and 12 points. Avoid excessively large or small fonts for professionalism.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Change Default Font Size for New Emails

This setting controls the font size of any new email you create from scratch. It's often the first change people want to make for better readability when writing.

Open Microsoft Outlook on your computer.
Click on the File tab in the top-left corner of the Outlook window.
From the left-hand menu, select Options. This will open the Outlook Options dialog box.
In the Outlook Options dialog box, click on Mail in the left-hand navigation pane.
Under the "Compose messages" section, find and click the Stationery and Fonts... button. This opens another dialog box called "Signatures and Stationery."
In the "Signatures and Stationery" dialog box, look for the "Personal Stationery" tab (it should be selected by default).
Under "New mail messages," click the Font... button.
A standard Font dialog box will appear. Here you can choose your desired Font (e.g., Calibri, Arial), Font Style (e.g., Regular, Bold), and most importantly, the Size (e.g., 12, 14, 16).
After making your selections, click OK to close the Font dialog box.
Click OK again to close the "Signatures and Stationery" dialog box.
Finally, click OK to close the Outlook Options dialog box and save your changes.

Now, when you create a new email, it will automatically use the font and size you just set.

Tip: You can see a preview of your chosen font and size in the Font dialog box before you confirm your selection. This helps ensure you get the look you want.

Adjust Font Size for Replying and Forwarding Emails

You can set a different font size for emails you reply to or forward. This is useful if you want your replies to stand out or match a specific style.

Follow steps 1-5 from the "Change Default Font Size for New Emails" section to open the Signatures and Stationery dialog box.
On the "Personal Stationery" tab, locate the "Replying or forwarding messages" section.
Click the Font... button next to this section.
In the Font dialog box, choose your preferred Font, Font Style, and Size for replies and forwards.
Click OK to confirm your font selections.
Click OK again to close the "Signatures and Stationery" dialog box.
Click OK one last time to close the Outlook Options dialog box and apply these changes.

From now on, when you reply to an email or forward one, the text you type will appear in the font and size you specified.

Set Font Size for Plain Text Messages

While most emails are sent in HTML format, some people or systems still use plain text. You can specify a font size for these messages too.

Open the Signatures and Stationery dialog box by following steps 1-5 from the first section.
On the "Personal Stationery" tab, find the "Composing and reading plain text messages" section.
Click the Font... button next to this option.
Select your desired Font, Font Style, and Size for plain text. Keep in mind that plain text limits font choices, so you might only have basic options like Courier New.
Click OK to close the Font dialog box.
Click OK to close the "Signatures and Stationery" dialog box.
Click OK to close the Outlook Options dialog box.

This ensures that any plain text emails you compose or view will use your chosen settings.

Temporarily Zoom In/Out on Messages in the Reading Pane

Sometimes you just need to quickly make the text larger in a single email you're reading. Outlook has a handy zoom feature for this.

Open Outlook and navigate to your Inbox or any folder containing emails.
Click on an email to display it in the Reading Pane (the preview area on the right or bottom).
Look for the zoom slider in the bottom-right corner of the Outlook window. It usually shows a percentage (e.g., 100%).
Drag the slider to the right to increase the font size or to the left to decrease it.
Alternatively, you can hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and scroll your mouse wheel up to zoom in, or scroll down to zoom out.

This zoom setting usually applies only to the currently viewed email in the Reading Pane and may reset when you click on a different email or close Outlook. It's great for quick adjustments without changing permanent settings.

Tip: If you frequently need to zoom in the reading pane, consider if your overall system display scaling or default message fonts should be adjusted more permanently.

Change Font Size for the Message List (Inbox items)

The message list is where you see the sender, subject, and date of your emails. You can adjust the font size here to make scanning your inbox easier.

In Outlook, go to the View tab in the ribbon at the top.
In the "Current View" group, click on View Settings. This will open the Advanced View Settings dialog box.
Click the Other Settings... button.
In the "Other Settings" dialog box, you'll see options for "Row Font" and "Column Font."
To change the font size for the actual email entries (sender, subject, date), click the Font... button under Row Font.
Choose your desired Font, Font Style, and Size (e.g., 9, 10, 11). This affects the text inside each row of your message list.
Click OK to confirm your font selection for rows.
(Optional) If you want to change the font size for the column headers (like "From," "Subject," "Received"), click the Font... button under Column Font and make your selections.
Click OK to close the "Other Settings" dialog box.
Click OK to close the Advanced View Settings dialog box.

Your message list in the current folder will now display with the new font sizes. You may need to apply this to other folders manually or consider changing your view settings for all folders.

Adjust Font Size for the Folder Pane and Navigation (System-wide)

For elements like the folder list on the left, the ribbon menus, and calendar/task views, Outlook usually relies on your computer's system-wide display settings. Changing these will affect many applications, not just Outlook.

Close Outlook before making system-wide display changes to ensure they apply correctly.
Right-click anywhere on your desktop background and select Display settings.
In the Display settings window, look for the "Scale & layout" section.
Under "Change the size of text, apps, and other items," you will see a dropdown menu (often set to 100% or 125%). Select a higher percentage (e.g., 125% or 150%) to make everything on your screen larger, including Outlook's interface elements.
(Optional, for text specifically) You might also find an option like "Text size" where you can adjust only the text size without scaling everything. Move the slider to your preferred size and click Apply.
After making changes, you might be prompted to sign out and back in, or restart your computer for the changes to fully take effect.
Once your computer restarts or you sign back in, open Outlook. You should see the folder pane, ribbon, and other interface elements appear larger.

Check first: Be cautious when adjusting system-wide display settings. While they can make Outlook more readable, they will also affect all other applications on your computer. Experiment with small increases first to avoid making your screen too large or blurry.

Quick Reference

Situation	Use this setting/action	Why
New emails you write	File > Options > Mail > Stationery and Fonts... > New mail messages > Font...	Sets the permanent default font for all emails composed from scratch.
Emails you reply to or forward	File > Options > Mail > Stationery and Fonts... > Replying or forwarding messages > Font...	Establishes the font for your responses or forwarded content.
Reading a specific email temporarily	Ctrl + Mouse Wheel (or zoom slider in reading pane)	Quickly magnifies or reduces text in the active email without changing permanent settings.
Font of items in your Inbox list (sender, subject)	View tab > View Settings > Other Settings... > Row Font...	Adjusts how the list of emails appears, making it easier to scan your inbox.
Overall Outlook interface (folders, ribbon, menu items)	Windows Display Settings > Scale & layout > Change the size of text, apps, and other items	System-wide adjustment that makes all interface elements larger, affecting many apps beyond Outlook.

Common Problems When You Change The Font Size In Outlook

Font changes aren't saving or applying:
- Fix: Make sure you click OK in *all* open dialog boxes (Font, Signatures and Stationery, Outlook Options) to confirm the changes. If you just close them, settings might not save. Sometimes restarting Outlook completely can also help apply the new settings.
Only new emails are affected, not replies:
- Fix: Remember to adjust the font size for both "New mail messages" and "Replying or forwarding messages" separately within the Stationery and Fonts settings. They are different options.
Reading pane font doesn't change permanently:
- Fix: The zoom feature (Ctrl + mouse wheel) is temporary. There isn't a direct permanent font size setting for the *content* of emails in the reading pane within Outlook's options for most versions. For a more permanent change that affects all emails, you might need to adjust your Windows display scaling (as described in the advanced tips) or use the zoom function each time you open Outlook.
Outlook interface elements (folder pane, ribbon) are still too small:
- Fix: These elements are usually controlled by your Windows display settings. You'll need to adjust the system-wide text scaling in your computer's Display settings, not within Outlook's specific options. Remember this affects all applications.
Text appears blurry after changing system display scaling:
- Fix: This can happen if you choose a scaling percentage that isn't recommended for your monitor's resolution. Try adjusting to a different recommended percentage or restarting your computer. If the blurriness persists, you might need to update your graphics drivers.

Advanced Tips for How To Change The Font Size In Outlook

Use Quick Styles for Dynamic Font Changes: When composing an email, you can use the "Styles" group on the "Format Text" tab in the message window. You can modify existing styles or create new ones with specific font sizes. This allows you to quickly apply different font settings within a single email, for example, for headings or emphasized text.
Consider Outlook Themes for Overall Appearance: While not directly about font size, changing your Outlook theme (File > Options > General > Office Theme) can sometimes improve overall readability by changing background and text colors, which makes the existing font sizes feel more comfortable.
Explore Windows Ease of Access Settings: Windows has dedicated "Ease of Access" or "Accessibility" settings. Search for "Ease of Access settings" in Windows. Here, you can find options specifically for increasing text size system-wide without scaling other elements, which can provide a good balance for Outlook and other apps. This is often more granular than the standard display scaling.
Print Layout Zoom: When composing an email, if you go to the Format Text tab, you might see a "Zoom" button in the "Zoom" group. This allows you to adjust the zoom level for the current message you are writing, similar to how it works in the reading pane. This is useful if you want to see your draft larger before sending.
Use Custom Views for Specific Folders: If you only want a larger message list font for a specific folder (e.g., an archive folder), you can apply the "Other Settings..." font change to that folder's view only. On the View tab, after selecting View Settings, click Change View > Save Current View As a New View, then apply that custom view to only the folders you want.