Learn to Change the Default Mail Font in AOL Mail

Add some personality to your email by changing the font

By
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Writer
  • University of Vienna
A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
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Updated on May 27, 2021

What to Know

  • Go to Options > Mail Settings > Compose > Font. Select a style, color and size. When finished, select Save Settings.
  • To switch to Rich Text HTML formatting, go to Options > Mail Settings > Compose > Use Rich Text/HTML Editing > Save Settings.

This article explains how to choose a default font, size, and color in AOL Mail on Windows 10, 8, or 7 as well as Mac OS X or higher.

Change the Default Mail Font in AOL Mail

Updating your AOL Mail settings enables you to choose from nine font styles, seven font sizes, and dozens of font colors.

The next time you compose an email, it uses the new font defaults you set up. You can change them manually one email at a time if you want to.

  1. Log in to your AOL Mail account and go to the inbox.

  2. Select the Options drop-down arrow in the upper-right corner of the inbox window and then choose Mail Settings.

    AOL Mail with the Mail Settings command highlighted

  3. Select Compose in the left pane of the Mail Settings window.

    AOL Mail settings with the Compose heading highlighted

  4. Select the Font drop-down arrow in the Default Font and Color section. Choose one of the available font styles.

    AOL Mail's Compose settings with the font settings highlighted

  5. Select the Font Size drop-down arrow in the Default Font and Color section. Choose one of the available font sizes.

    AOL Mail Compose settings with the Font Size options highlighted

  6. Select the Text Color button in the Default Font and Color section. Choose one of the available text colors.

    AOL Mail Compose settings with the Text Color menu highlighted

  7. Preview how your default font will appear in the What your text will look like box. Make any changes you wish.

    AOL Mail Compose settings with the text preview highlighted

  8. Select Save Settings to apply the new default font settings. Return to the inbox.

    AOL Mail settings with the Save Settings button highlighted

Add Rich Text to Your Emails

If you want to make a bigger impact than you see by changing the default font, switch to Rich Text HTML formatting in AOL Mail. When you turn on Rich Text HTML formatting, you can underline, use bold and italic, create bulleted lists, and color both the text and the background. To turn on Rich Text HTML formatting:

  1. Log in to your AOL Mail account and go to the inbox.

  2. Select the Options drop-down arrow in the upper-right corner of the inbox window and then choose Mail Settings.

    AOL Mail with the Mail Settings command highlighted

  3. Select Compose in the left pane of the Mail Settings window.

    AOL Mail settings with the Compose heading highlighted

  4. Select the Use Rich Text/HTML Editing check box.

    AOL Mail settings with the Use Rich Text option highlighted

  5. Select Save Settings to apply the changes. Return to the inbox.

    AOL Mail settings with the Save Settings button highlighted

Because not all email clients can display HTML-formatted messages, AOL Mail also produces a plain text version of each rich text message that you send. It is displayed to recipients who cannot view HTML-formatted emails.

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