How to Change the Default Font and Normal Style in Word 2010

To set a new default font in Word 2010, open the Font dialog, choose the typeface and size you want, select Set As Default, and apply the change to documents based on Normal.dotm. This affects new documents that use Word’s Normal template; it does not reformat documents you already saved. You can also modify the Normal style directly if you want to manage body text through Word’s style system.

Set the default font for new Word 2010 documents

Word 2010 uses the Normal template to provide the starting formatting for a blank document. The exact font may already have been customized on your computer, so use the settings shown in your own dialog as the starting point.

1. Open the Font dialog. Open a document in Word 2010, select the Home tab, and click the small dialog box launcher in the lower-right corner of the Font group. You can also press Ctrl+D. The launcher opens the full Font dialog instead of changing only the selected text from the ribbon.

2. Choose the typeface and basic formatting. On the Font tab, select a font family, font style, and size. You can also set font color, underline style, and the available effects, such as strikethrough, superscript, or small caps. Check the Preview area before saving. If you share documents, choose a font that recipients are likely to have installed; otherwise Word may substitute another typeface on their computers.

Keep decorative effects limited to cases where they improve emphasis. Text color, outlines, shadows, and similar treatments can reduce readability in long passages and may look different when printed.

3. Review the Advanced tab only if needed. Word 2010’s Advanced tab provides character-spacing controls such as Scale, Spacing, Position, and kerning. Use Spacing to expand or condense characters, or Position to raise or lower them. Small changes can affect line wrapping, so inspect a sample paragraph after adjusting these values.

Do not expect this tab to offer every modern OpenType typography feature. Microsoft notes that advanced typography effects such as ligatures are not displayed in Word 2010 for Windows, even if they are present in a file created by a newer compatible version.

4. Save the choice as a default. Select Set As Default at the bottom of the Font dialog. In the confirmation window, choose All documents based on the Normal.dotm template to use the new font in future blank documents. Choose This document only if you want the default to apply only to the open file. Select OK to confirm.

The Normal.dotm option changes the starting font for documents built from that template. It does not rewrite existing files or automatically change documents created from a separate custom template.

Change the Normal style as well

The Font dialog’s default command is the quickest way to set a starting typeface. If you want to manage the body-text style itself, edit Normal, the style commonly used for regular paragraphs:

5. On the Home tab, find the Styles gallery. Right-click Normal and choose Modify.

6. In the Modify Style window, choose the font, size, and basic formatting. If you want the style change to carry into future blank documents, select New documents based on this template, then click OK. Leave that box cleared when the change is only for the current document.

Normal controls regular body paragraphs, but heading styles can have their own formatting. To change headings too, modify Heading 1, Heading 2, or another style separately. This keeps documents consistent when you use styles instead of manually formatting each heading.

Check the result and troubleshoot resets

Create a new blank document with Ctrl+N, then click in the document and check the font name and size on the Home tab. Type a short test line if needed. A new document is the right test: an already-open document may retain its earlier formatting, and text with direct formatting can override the Normal style.

If the setting does not persist, reopen the Font dialog and confirm you selected the Normal.dotm option rather than This document only. Also check that Normal.dotm is not marked read-only and that your Windows account can write to the templates folder. On managed computers, permissions or a Word add-in may restore an organization’s preferred defaults. Microsoft’s current troubleshooting guidance covers those permission and add-in checks; its newer interface labels can differ from Word 2010.

Microsoft references

• Microsoft Support: Change the default font in Word
• Microsoft Q&A: Default settings in Word 2010
• Microsoft Support: Ligatures and document compatibility