Outlook made my email tiny and today changed the font

Question

Whatever Microsoft did to change Outlook in the last 2 weeks really messed up my email. Suddenly yesterday the email font is some weird script and the message is stretched out so I cant even read it. Who has time for these issues? Anyone know how to fix this? Microsoft 365 and Office | Other

Answer 1

Hello Wendy Doyle-Palumbo,

Thank you for posting to Microsoft Q&A. 

I know how frustrating it can be when your email layout suddenly changes and becomes unreadable, especially when you are busy and just need things to work. 

• To get a better idea of exactly what you are seeing, could you please provide a screenshot of the issue? I have already sent you a request via Private Message so you can send the screenshot there. Thank you for your support.

 

In the meantime, here are the most common causes for this issue and how to fix them: 

1. Accidental Trigger of "Immersive Reader" 

If your view looks like the pic below, then it is because the Immersive Reader has been accidentally turned on. 

• Click on the View tab at the top of Outlook. 
• Look for the button labeled Immersive Reader (it usually has an icon of a book with a speaker). 
• Click it once to toggle it off. Your email should instantly snap back to its normal font and standard spacing. 

2. The Zoom Slider 

Look at the very bottom-right corner of your Outlook window. You should see a percentage number (e.g., 50% or 10%) next to a small slider bar. If it is well below 100%, your zoom is the issue. 

• The Quick Fix: Open an email, hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard, and scroll your mouse wheel up until the text is legible again. 
• The Permanent Fix: Click the percentage number in the bottom right corner. A dialog box will pop up. Select 100%, check the box that says "Remember my preference", and click OK. 

3. Default App Font Changed 

If turning off Immersive Reader and fixing the Zoom level did not work, check to see if the strange font happens only when you hit "Reply" or "New Email", or if it also happens when just reading incoming mail. If it is everywhere, the default app font has been changed. 

If you are using Classic Outlook: 

• Click File > Options > Mail. 
• Click the Stationery and Fonts button. 
• Under all three sections ("New mail messages", "Replying or forwarding", and "Composing and reading plain text"), click the Font button. 
• Change it back to Calibri or Aptos at Size 11 or 12, then click OK to save. 

If you are using the New Outlook: 

• Click the Gear Icon (Settings) in the top right. 
• Navigate to Mail > Compose and reply. 
• Scroll down to Message format and change the default font dropdown back to your preferred standard font. 
• Click Save to apply the changes. 

I hope these steps help you quickly restore your Outlook layout back to normal. Please let me know if the issue persists after trying these solutions.

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Answer 2

Two things likely changed: the zoom level for reading messages and the default composing font.

To fix tiny or stretched text when reading messages in classic Outlook:

1. Open any email and look at the bottom-right corner of the Outlook window.
2. Use the Zoom slider to adjust the zoom until the text is readable.
3. To make this stick for all messages, click the percentage value next to the slider to open the Zoom window.
4. Choose a zoom percentage (for example, 125%).
5. Check Remember my preference and select OK.

To fix the “weird script” font when composing or replying in classic Outlook:

1. Select File > Options > Mail.
2. Under Compose messages, select Stationery and Fonts.
3. On the Personal Stationery tab:
   • Under New mail messages, select Font and choose a standard font (for example, +Body, size 11, color Automatic).
   • Under Replying or forwarding messages, select Font and set the same font and size.
4. Select OK three times to return to Outlook.

If the goal is to restore the original default Outlook font settings:

1. Go again to File > Options > Mail > Stationery and Fonts.
2. For both New mail messages and Replying or forwarding messages, set:
   • Font: +Body
   • Font style: Regular
   • Size: 11
   • Font color: Automatic
3. Select OK three times.

If using Outlook on the web (Outlook.com or Outlook on the web) and the compose font changed:

1. Go to Settings > Email > Compose and reply.
2. Under Message format, set Compose messages in to HTML.
3. Choose the desired default font and size.
4. Select Save.

If messages only look tiny when reading in Outlook on the web:

• Use the browser’s zoom control (for example, in Microsoft Edge select Settings and more > Zoom) to increase text size.

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References:

• Change the default font or text color for email messages in Outlook
• Change font size in Outlook on the web