Word/Excel: Change the default font

We CPAs are not all afraid of new, dynamic, and fresh looks. Some of us, however, are not very pleased with the default font in Office 2007 programs. Where most professional correspondence is prepared using a more conservative font, the default Calibri is not always taken seriously.

To change the default font in Excel:

1. In Excel, click the Office button:
   
   
2. Select Excel Options:
   
   
3. In the middle of the screen, under “When creating new workbooks,” there is a menu called, “Use this font.” Select the font that you would like to use as the default. You may also change the font size and a few other options here.
   
   
4. Click OK. You will have to quit and restart Excel for the changes to take effect.

To change the default font in Word:

1. Create a new Word document.
2. On the Home ribbon, click the lower-right corner to display the font menu:
   
   
3. Select the font, size, style, etc. that you would like for the default.
4. Click the Default… button in the lower-left corner:
   
   
5. You will see a confirmation message. If you are sure, click “Yes.”
6. The next new document you create in Word will have the new default font.