How can I make all Outlook text larger and bold

Question

I recently got a new PC and switched from Windows 10 to Windows 11. I'm having a terrible time getting the fonts on my new PC to be readable: they are almost all too small and too light. And it's dificult to tell whether the fonts are controlled by an application or by Windows ... or both.

The problem I want to address first is with "classic" Outlook. All emails, calendar events, and contacts have text that is too small and too light.

Below is an example of a contact. The font is too small and too light. The font in the "Notes" image shown was changed by me right-clicking in the Notes area and choosing the font I wanted. But that only applies to the single contact, not to all contacts ... much less all emails and all calendar items. I want to set the default font size/boldness for everything in Outlook at one time (I don't mind setting that font for email, calendars, and contacts separately - I just want to do it once, then be done with it).

In Windows 10 I had no problem; all the text in Outlook, regardless of email, calendar, or contact was of the correct size and boldness. It was so long ago that I've forgetten how I got that to be true, but I'd like to do that in classic Outlook on Windows 11.

Answer 1

Hi John,

Thank you for sharing your question. I understand making Outlook text bigger and bolder. I get how annoying it is when fonts look too tiny and light after switching from Windows 10 to 11. Outlook has its own font settings for emails, calendars, and contacts. Windows handles the overall system display. So, both mess with how easy things are to read. Let’s sort this together.

You can't just change everything at once since Outlook keeps font settings separate for composing emails, the reading area, the message list, and the calendar/contact views. Windows 11 also has display scaling that can make text look lighter than in Windows 10.

To fix it, start by changing Outlook’s font settings in each spot. In Classic Outlook, head to File > Options > Mail > Stationery and Fonts. In Personal Stationery, set the font, size, and bold style you want for new emails, replies/forwards, and plain text messages. For the message list and reading area, go to View > View Settings > Other Settings and make the font bigger for column headers and rows. For calendars and contacts, change the View Settings in each to set up your fonts.

Also, tweak Windows 11 display scaling under Settings > System > Display > Scale to increase all text across apps. If you want to make things bigger while reading emails, drag the Zoom bar at the bottom-right of the reading area or hit Ctrl + + to zoom.

 

May I also ask to have you messed with the View Settings for the message list and reading area, or only the email writing fonts? Knowing this will help us see what else needs to be adjusted.

Let me know after you try these steps so we can tweak the calendar and contact views if needed.

I hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Noel