How to Change Default Fonts in Google Docs

The default font style in Google Docs is Arial, with the font size being 11.

Any time you create a new document, the text in that document will be formatted in this style. It is possible to change this default style in Google Docs. 

In this article, we will be talking about how you can change the default font in Google Docs. Specifically, we will be talking about the following two methods.

Two ways to change default font in Google Docs:

  • Changing the normal text (and other paragraph styles) from the toolbar
  • Changing the normal text (and other paragraph styles) from the Format tab

We will also talk about how to reset the default styles.


Method 1: Changing the normal text (and other paragraph styles) from the toolbar

The first method involves changing the default font from the toolbar. You can do this by changing the ‘Normal text’ and other paragraph styles from the toolbar.

Here’s a brief explanation of the various paragraph styles. ‘Normal text’ refers to the bulk of the text in your document. For example, this paragraph is normal text.

‘Title’ refers to the heading you give to the text. For example, the title of this document would be ‘How to change the default font in Google Docs’. 

‘Subtitle’ refers to the text below the title. It provides more context about the title and more information about the text.

Next, there are different types of headings. The first is ‘Heading 1’ which refers to the heading under the subtitle. Under ‘Heading 1’, you will have ‘Heading 2’. Similarly, under ‘Heading 2’, you will have ‘Heading 3’. There are a total of 4 possible headings in Google Docs.

One way to apply these paragraph styles is by going to the toolbar or the Format tab. For example, you can click on ‘Normal text’ in the toolbar, which will open a menu. In the menu, you can hover over ‘Heading 1’ and click on ‘Apply ‘Heading 1’’. 

However, a much quicker way of applying them is by using keyboard shortcuts. The keyboard shortcut for converting a text into ‘Normal text’ is Control + Alt + 0 (or Command + Option + 0, if you’re a Mac user). 

The keyboard shortcuts for headings are as follows:

  • Heading 1: Control + Alt + 1 (or Command + Option + 1, if you’re a Mac user)
  • Heading 2: Control + Alt + 2 (or Command + Option + 2, if you’re a Mac user)
  • Heading 3: Control + Alt + 3 (or Command + Option + 3, if you’re a Mac user)
  • Heading 4: Control + Alt + 4 (or Command + Option + 4, if you’re a Mac user)

Now that we are clear on these basics, let’s talk about the steps for this method.

Step 1: Open your Google Docs document.

Step 2: Format the font in your document.

Now, it’s time to change the default font settings in your document. 

You can start by changing the font style. To do this, click on the font name in the toolbar to see the list of fonts available to you. For example, if your paragraph’s font is Cambria, click on ‘Cambria’ in the toolbar.

If you didn’t find what you are looking for, you can also see new fonts. To do this, click on ‘More fonts’. A window will appear from which you can add new fonts to your list.

Step 3: Change the defaults.

First, place your cursor in the paragraph that has the new default font.

Next, go to the toolbar. In the toolbar, you should see a button called ‘Normal text’. Click on it to open a drop-down menu where you can change the paragraph styles. 

The first option is ‘Normal text’. Hover your cursor over this option to open another menu. From this menu, select ‘Update ‘Normal text’ to match’. This will change the default style to the font you selected.

You can also change the default formats of the other paragraph styles. For example, you can change the font size for the ‘Title’ style to 20 and make it bold. Then, follow the same process as above. Click on the menu, hover over ‘Title’, then update it.

Once you are done with this process, the defaults of your document are changed. 

(Optional) Step 4: Make this the default style for all your future documents.

If you want to use these defaults for all your future Google Docs documents, you can.

To do that, go to the ‘Normal text’ menu once again. At the very bottom of this menu, you should see ‘Options’. Click on or hover over it to open a new drop-down menu. From this menu, select the ‘Save as my default styles’ option. 

Keep in mind that this will not change the styles of all your previous documents. It will only apply to future documents.


Method 2: Changing the normal text (and other paragraph styles) from the Format tab

Another way of changing the default font is by going to the Format tab. This method is not very different from the first method. Everything is the same, except that you go to the Format tab instead of using the button in the toolbar.

You can use any of the two methods but we recommend the first one. This is because it is generally simpler and takes less time.

Below are the steps for this method.

Step 1: Choose your default font.

The first step is to change the existing defaults. Click on the fonts menu in the toolbar to find other fonts. You can also change the size, colour, etc. of your text. 

Step 2: Click on the ‘Format’ tab.

This tab is located in the top left corner of your screen. Click on it to open the ‘Format’ drop-down menu.

Step 3: Go to Paragraph styles.

In the ‘Format’ menu, you should see the ‘Paragraph styles’ option. Hover over it to open another smaller menu.

Step 4: Change the default paragraph styles.

First, make sure to place your cursor on the text with the new font. Then, click on ‘Normal text’ in the ‘Paragraph styles’ menu. To change the default style, select ‘Update ‘Normal text’ to match’.

You can also change the other paragraph styles, like the headings. You can even use a different font for these styles. To change the default, follow the same step. Click on the style (e.g. Heading 1) then select the update option (e.g. ‘Update ‘Heading 1’ to match’).

(Optional) Step 5: Make this the default font for all future documents.

You also have the option to use this style for all future documents in Google Docs. Hence, you don’t have to change the default style every time you create a new document.

To do this, open the ‘Paragraph styles’ menu again. At the very bottom of this menu, you will find ‘Options’. Hover over this to open another small drop-down menu. From this menu, select the ‘Save as my default styles’ option.

How to reset the default style 

You can also reset the default styles of your documents. This means that Arial will once again be the default font in your document. 

To do this, click on the ‘Normal text’ button in the toolbar. Then, hover over the ‘Options’ button. From the drop-down menu that appears, click on ‘Reset styles’.

You can do the same thing by going to the ‘Paragraph styles’ menu in the ‘Format’ tab.


Conclusion 

We’ve finally reached the end of this article!

Thank you for reading! 

Using MS Word? Then check out this tutorial on How to change default font in MS Word.

1 thought on “How to Change Default Fonts in Google Docs”

  1. Hi there,

    If I make a template using Google Docs (with official Google Fonts) and hand it off to a client, will that font automatically load when the client opens it? As in, they don’t necessarily need it installed to their computer, correct? Thank you.

    Reply

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