By default, Gmail uses a black ‘Sans Serif’ font with ‘Normal’ size. Since ‘Sans Serif’ is a font category and not a specific font, the actual font you see will change depending on the platform. For example, on Windows, it defaults to Arial with a font size of 13 pixels. On Android or iOS, it will use the system’s default font. While the default font settings are generally fine, there might be situations where you want to use a specific font, size, or color. For example, maybe you like to use a larger text size for better readability or use a different font to match your personal or organizational style.
Whatever your specific reason, you can easily change the default text size, font, and color using Gmail Settings. This is much better than manually changing the font settings for each email individually. In this quick and easy guide, I will show you how. Let’s get started.
Before You Start
- The following steps are only applicable to Gmail on the web.
Steps to Change Default Font and Size in Gmail
- Open the Gmail website (https://mail.google.com/).
- Click the “Settings” (gear) icon in the top-right corner.
- Click the “See all settings” button.
- Select the “General” tab at the top.
- Select the font, size, and color of your choice from the “Default text style” section.
- Scroll down and click “Save Changes“.
- With that, you’ve changed the default font, size, and color in Gmail.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, open Gmail by entering https://mail.google.com/ in your web browser. If needed, log in to your Gmail account. After logging in, click the “Settings” (gear) icon in the top-right corner and click the “See all settings” button.
The above action opens the Gmail settings page. Here, ensure you are under the “General” tab. Next, scroll down to the “Default text style” section. Here, use the first dropdown to choose your ‘Font‘, the second for ‘Text Size‘, and the third for ‘Color‘.
As you select the options, Gmail displays an instant preview of the new text style right under the menus.
Note: Gmail doesn’t provide exact pixel sizes (e.g., 12px, 14px) for font sizes. Instead, it gives you relative sizes such as small, normal, large, and huge. If you want a larger text size, choose large or huge.
Once you are satisfied with the new text style in Gmail, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the “Save Changes” button. This will apply the text style changes. If you don’t click this button, no changes will be made.
That is all. It is that simple to change the default font and size in Gmail. If you ever want to restore the default text style settings, simply click the “Remove Formatting” button (the last icon) in the “Default text style” section in Gmail Settings.
If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
I followed the instructions but, regarding the last one (4. Once you are done customizing, scroll all the way down and click on the “Save changes” buttons), there is no such button. What gives?
I just checked and the “Save Changes” button is available. Make sure the page is fully loaded and you scrolled all the way down. The page is pretty long.