How to Change the Default Mac OS X Mail Message Font

Which font sets you up for writing your best emails? Is it a clear and simple Helvetica? The somewhat playful Comic Sans? Or a creative Zapfino?

In Mac OS X Mail, you can choose a default font for both reading (plain text) and composing emails. Of course, you can also specify a default size.

Change the Default Mac OS X Mail Message Font

To specify a default font face and size for composing (and reading) mail in Mac OS X Mail:

• Select Mail | Preferences... from the menu.
• Go to the Fonts & Colors category.
• Select the desired font under Message font:.
• Specify the desired font size under Size: in the same line.
• Go to the Composing category.
• Make sure Rich Text is selected under Composing: Message Format:.
  • Under Responding:, prefarably also check Use the same message format as the original message. This means people who send you plain text messages will get emails back in plain text from you — your default font is not used for them, but this is probably what they prefer.
• Close the preferences window.