Calibri is a font familiar to many, and even if you haven’t heard of it, chances are you've encountered it at least once in your lifetime. It's often the default font for text, making it widely recognized. Calibri font’s popularity extends beyond Microsoft Office; many other office suites rely on it for its simplicity and versatility. In this article, we explore the reasons on what makes this font unique and why it has remained the default choice for so long.
What’s Calibri Font?
Calibri is a modern sans-serif font widely used in Microsoft Office. It replaced Times New Roman in Word and Arial in PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and WordPad when it was introduced in 2007. Designed by Luc(as) de Groot, Calibri has a rounded design, giving it a warm and soft feel.
In January 2024, Microsoft replaced Calibri with a new default font called Aptos after 17 years of Calibri's use.
Calibri is part of the ClearType Font Collection, a suite of fonts designed to work effectively with Microsoft's ClearType text rendering system, which enhances text clarity on LCD monitors. The other fonts in this collection include Cambria, Candara, Consolas, Constantia, and Corbel.
Types of Calibri Font in Microsoft Office:
Calibri Regular
Calibri Bold
Calibri Italic
Calibri Bold Italic
What Are the Characteristics of Calibri Font?
Subtly rounded stems and corners, visible at larger sizes.
Sloped form with true italic style, influenced by handwriting.
Characters from Latin, Latin extended, Greek, Cyrillic, and Hebrew scripts.
Utilizes sophisticated OpenType formatting, including ligatures, various figures, and alternate characters.
Some unsupported features in Office, such as true small caps and superscript/subscript glyphs.
Visible homoglyph, making lowercase letter "l" and uppercase letter "I" effectively indistinguishable.
Design similarities to TheSans family, with straight ends instead of rounding.
Potential addition of Bulgarian alphabet variant letterforms in the future, as mentioned by the designer.
Why Aptos Replaces Calibri as Microsoft Office's New Default Font?
Fresh Look: Microsoft aimed for a new default font to modernize its software.
Improved Readability: Aptos offers enhanced legibility, especially on high-resolution screens.
User Engagement: Users reacted strongly on social media, sparking discussions about fonts.
Brand Refresh: The change reflects Microsoft's desire to stay current and innovative.
Global Appeal: Aptos was chosen for its universal appeal and versatility across languages and cultures.
How to Change the Default Font in Microsoft Office?
Aptos has now become the default font on Microsoft Office apps, but this doesn't mean you have to stick with it. Users can change the default font setting in each of the Office app settings individually. Let's take a look at how we can change the default font in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Microsoft Outlook:
Step 1: The default font for composing emails in Microsoft Outlook is Aptos.
Step 2: To modify this, navigate to the "File" menu located in the top-left corner of Outlook.
Step 3: Next, access "Options" from the left-side panel on Microsoft Outlook.
Step 4: Next, in the Options dialog box, select the "Mail" tab, and then click on "Stationery and Fonts".
Step 5: You can now adjust the default font for "New Mail messages" and "Replying or Forwarding messages" individually by selecting "Font”.
Step 6: In the Font dialog box, navigate to the "Font" tab and pick a new default font for emailing in the “Font” field..
Step 7: Once you've made your selection, click "OK" to exit the Font dialog box.
Step 8: Finally, exit all remaining screens by clicking "OK" to return to Microsoft Outlook, where you'll observe the changed default font.
Microsoft Word:
Step 1: Let's create a new blank document on Microsoft Word, or if you look, Aptos is our default font.
Step 2: To change the font setting, click on the small downward arrow at the bottom right of the font section.
Step 3: This will open the "Font" dialog box, head over to the “Fonts” tab where you can select any new font of your choice in the "Font" field. Let's say we want to go back to the old Calibri font.
Step 4: Then click on the "Set As Default" button at the bottom left of the dialog box.
Step 5: You will be asked if you want the changed settings to apply to all future documents or just to this document. Select "All documents based on the Normal Template" and then click on "OK".
Step 6: You will now return to your Microsoft Word interface, or you can see that the font is now set to the selected default font.
Microsoft Excel:
Step 1: Start by making a new workbook in Excel. Currently, the default font is Aptos Narrow.
Step 2: To change the default Font settings on Excel, click on the "File" menu at the top left.
Step 3: Then, click "More" on the left side panel, and then choose "Options".
Step 4: In the Options menu, go to the "Display" tab and find "When creating new workbooks".
Step 5: Simply pick your preferred font in the "Use this font as the default font" box, then click "OK".
Step 6: Excel will ask you to restart to apply the changes, click on “OK” to proceed.
Step 7: Close and reopen Excel to see your new default font.
Microsoft PowerPoint:
Step 1: Begin by launching PowerPoint and initiating a new empty presentation. Currently, the default font displayed in the font section is Aptos Display.
Step 2: To alter the default font, navigate to the "View" tab and select "Slide Master".
Step 3: Within the Slide Master view, locate the "Font" field on the ribbon and opt for a different font from the drop-down menu.
Step 4: Once done, exit Slide Master by clicking on "Close Master View".
Step 5: Proceed to the "File" menu to save the template with the updated default font settings.
Step 6: Select the "Save as" tab on the left side panel, or change the file type to *.POTX.
Step 7: Click on "More options" to save the presentation as a template.
Step 8: Adjust the location to "C:\Users[Your Username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates" for saving the template.
Step 9: Rename the file to "Blank" and then hit "Save" to finalize the change in default font settings.
Step 10: Upon opening a new presentation, you'll notice that the default font has been updated.
Best Alternative to Microsoft Office - WPS Office
WPS Office, an office suite that has long stood shoulder to shoulder with Microsoft Office, boasts high compatibility across all operating systems, including Linux, Mac, and Windows. With its user-friendly interface, cost-free access, and seamless integration across various tools like Writer, Presentation, and Spreadsheet, it has swiftly become the preferred choice for many.
However, with Microsoft Office officially changing its default font to Aptos, WPS has yet to follow suit. This is advantageous for users accustomed to working with WPS Office, as they can continue their workflow seamlessly without any additional costs. The download process is straightforward, allowing users to easily use WPS Office alongside Microsoft Office.
FAQs
Q1. Can Calibri be customized or modified in Microsoft Office?
Although users cannot directly modify the basic Calibri font itself, they have the flexibility to adjust its size, color, and formatting within Microsoft Office applications.
2. What's the process for changing the font in the Calibri body within Word?
To modify the font in the Calibri body of your Word document, navigate to Format > Font > Font. Alternatively, you can press and hold Ctrl + D to access the Font dialog box. From there, select the desired font and size you wish to apply.
3. Which font has replaced Calibri?
The font that has replaced Calibri is Aptos, introduced by Microsoft as the new default font across its Office suite.
Calibri Legacy Continues
While Calibri may no longer be the default font of Microsoft Office, its legacy remains strong as many people still prefer using it. Of course, you can manually change your text to Calibri in MS Word, but it's a hassle having to do it repeatedly every time you open your document. In this aspect, WPS offers convenience by having Calibri as the default font, allowing you to use it freely without any hassle. Download WPS Office now and experience its top notch ease.
