How to Change the Font, Font Size, and Font Color in Microsoft Word

This tutorial shows three ways to change the font, font size, and font color in Microsoft Word. First, we’ll use the font options in the ribbon. Then, we’ll use the Mini toolbar. Finally, we’ll use the Font dialog box.

Do you want to change your default font, font size, or font color? Check out my other tutorial “How to Change the Default Font in Microsoft Word.”

Quick Links:

How to Change the Font, Font Size, and Font Color in the Ribbon
How to Change the Font, Font Size, and Font Color in the Mini Toolbar
How to Change the Font, Font Size, and Font Color in the Font Dialog Box

This tutorial is also available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.

Watch more than fifty other videos about Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat on my YouTube channel.

The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365. The steps are the same in Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010. However, your interface may look slightly different in those older versions of the software.

How to Change the Font, Font Size, and Font Color in the Ribbon

In Word, the main toolbar at the top of the screen is called the ribbon. The ribbon offers many of the font options most users will need for general content.

Select the Home tab in the ribbon.

Home tab in Word 365 — Figure 1. Home tab

If your document is blank, skip to step 3.

Select the text with the font you want to change.

To select the entire document, press Ctrl + A on your keyboard.

Alternatively, select Select in the Editing group, and then select Select All from the drop-down menu.

Select All option in Word 365 — Figure 2. Select All option

Select the Font menu arrow to choose a new font. (This menu lists the fonts installed on your computer. Your fonts may differ from those shown in figure 3.)

Font menu in the Home tab in Word 365 — Figure 3. Font menu

Select the Font Size menu arrow to choose a new font size. (The numbers represent typography points. Each point is 1/72 of an inch.)

Font Size menu in the Home tab in Word 365 — Figure 4. Font Size menu

Alternatively, you can select the Increase Font Size or Decrease Font Size buttons to increase or decrease the font by one point.

Increase Font Size and Decrease Font Size buttons in Word 365 — Figure 5. Increase Font Size and Decrease Font Size buttons

Select the Font Color menu arrow to choose a new color.

Font Color menu in the Home tab in Word 365 — Figure 6. Font Color menu

For additional color options, select More Colors in the Font Color drop-down menu (see figure 6). Choose a color in the Standard tab of the Colors dialog box. Or, enter a custom color in the Advanced tab.

Standard and Custom tabs in the Colors dialog box in Word 365 — Figure 7. Standard tab and Custom tab

Pro Tip: Select the Change Case button to choose Sentence case, lowercase, UPPERCASE, Capitalize Each Word, or tOGGLE cASE.

Change Case menu in Word 365 — Figure 8. Change Case menu

Your text should change to your new font choices immediately.

The Mini toolbar offers many of the same font options as the ribbon from within the text.

Select and then right-click the text to display the Mini toolbar.
Select the arrow menus to select a font, font size, or font color. (Note that the Mini toolbar includes the Increase Font Size or Decrease Font Size buttons to increase or decrease the font by one point.)