Short answer: To change the default font in Apple Mail on a Mac, choose Mail > Settings > Fonts & Colors and click Select next to Message font (for messages you write and read) or Message list font (for the inbox list). To enlarge text in the email you're reading, press Command-Plus (+); Command-Minus (-) makes it smaller again. The fixed-width font setting only applies to plain text messages.
Steps are for macOS 27 and are the same on macOS Tahoe 26, Sequoia 15 and Sonoma 14. On macOS Monterey 12 and earlier, Settings was called Preferences.
Fonts & Colors settings in Apple Mail
Choose Mail > Settings, then click the Fonts & Colors tab. Each font has a Select button that opens the Fonts window, where you pick a family, style and size.
| Setting | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Message list font | The font and size of the message list (sender, subject and preview lines) |
| Message font | The font and size for writing messages and for viewing messages that don't set their own font |
| Fixed-width font | The font and size for plain text messages, if the checkbox below it is on |
| Use fixed-width font for plain text messages | Turns the fixed-width font on for plain text mail |
| Color quoted text | Colors quoted text in replies and forwards, with a color for each quote level |
Changes apply as soon as you pick a font. There's no Restore Defaults button, so note your current fonts before you change them.
How to change the default font for new emails
- Choose Mail > Settings and click Fonts & Colors.
- Click Select next to Message font.
- In the Fonts window, choose a font family and size. Close the window when you're done.
- Make sure new mail uses rich text: in Mail > Settings > Composing, set Message format to Rich Text. In plain text, recipients see whatever font their own app uses.
The new default applies to messages you write from now on, including replies and forwards. Your signature follows it too if Always match my default message font is selected in the Signatures tab. When you read mail, the message font is only a fallback: if a sender chose a font, Mail shows theirs.
How to make the font bigger in Mac Mail
There are four different things people mean by bigger text in Mail, and each has its own setting:
- The email you're reading: select it and press Command-Plus (+) to zoom in or Command-Minus (-) to zoom out. This only changes how it looks on your screen.
- The inbox list: raise the size of the Message list font in Fonts & Colors. A point or two larger is often enough.
- Text you're writing: select it and choose Format > Style > Bigger, or click the Format button in the message window's toolbar. To change the size for every new message, raise the Message font size instead.
- The sidebar: go to System Settings > Appearance and change Sidebar icon size. This also changes the sidebars of other apps.
If everything on your Mac feels small, System Settings > Accessibility > Display > Text size sets one preferred size for the desktop, app sidebars and the apps in that list, with a pop-up menu to change each app separately.
What is the fixed-width font in Apple Mail?
A fixed-width (monospaced) font gives every character the same width, so an i takes as much room as a W. That keeps columns lined up when text is aligned with spaces instead of tabs, which matters for code, log files and simple text tables. Mail uses it only for plain text messages, and only when Use fixed-width font for plain text messages is selected. Rich text (HTML) emails are not affected, and the setting changes only what you see, not what recipients see.
Color quoted text
Quoted text is the part of the original message included when you reply or forward, usually indented with a bar beside it. With Color quoted text on, Mail colors each quote level differently, so a long back-and-forth is easier to follow. Click the pop-up menu next to a level to choose another color, or choose Other for the full color picker.
When Mail ignores your font settings
- Incoming email shows another font: the sender set it. Mail respects their choice. Use Command-Plus to make it readable.
- Replies go out in plain text: with Use the same message format as the original message selected in Composing settings, a reply to a plain text email is plain text too, so your font isn't sent. Deselect it to always reply in rich text.
- Pasted text looks different: it brought its formatting with it. Choose Edit > Paste and Match Style instead of Paste.
- Your signature uses another font: select Always match my default message font in Mail > Settings > Signatures, or reformat the signature there.
If the problem is colors rather than fonts, for example white text on a dark background, see our guide to Apple Mail dark mode.
If you're tuning Mail to make email easier to read
Disclosure: we make Canary Mail. Bigger fonts help, but a shorter inbox helps more. Canary Mail is an email app for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Android that works with Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, Exchange and other IMAP accounts. The free plan covers unlimited accounts on 2 devices with AI inbox sorting. The Growth plan ($36 a year) adds AI writing and summaries, read receipts, send later and a calendar on up to 5 devices. There's a 7-day trial, and paid plans are yearly or lifetime. More than 2 million people use it, and Apple has featured it on the App Store and the Mac App Store.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change the default font in Apple Mail?
Choose Mail > Settings > Fonts & Colors, click Select next to Message font and pick a font and size. Set Message format to Rich Text in Composing settings so recipients see it.
How do I enlarge the font in Mac Mail?
Press Command-Plus while reading an email. For the inbox list, raise the Message list font size in Fonts & Colors.
What is the fixed-width font in Apple Mail?
A monospaced font Mail uses for plain text messages when Use fixed-width font for plain text messages is selected. Every character has the same width, which keeps text aligned.
Why does an email show a different font than I chose?
The sender set a font in the message, and Mail shows the sender's font. Your Message font is used only when a message doesn't specify one.
Can I change the font size of the Mail sidebar?
Yes, in System Settings > Appearance with the Sidebar icon size menu. It applies to all apps.
More Mac Mail how-tos
- Apple Mail dark mode
- How to create an email signature in Mac Mail
- Mac Mail view options and list preview
- How to customize the Apple Mail toolbar
- How to customize the Mac Mail sidebar and Favorites
- Apple Mail templates on Mac
Other Mac Mail fixes
- Mac Mail not opening or freezing
- Mac Mail keeps crashing
- Mac Mail not sending emails
- Messages stuck in the Outbox
- Mac Mail not receiving emails
- Mac Mail inbox not updating
- Mac Mail can't connect to the server
- "Unable to verify account name or password"
- Mac Mail not showing attachments
- Mac Mail not showing images
- Mac Mail search not working
Sources
- Apple Mail User Guide (macOS 27): Change Fonts & Colors settings
- Apple Mail User Guide (macOS 27): Change Composing settings
- Apple Mail User Guide (macOS 27): Change Signatures settings
- Apple Mail User Guide (macOS 27): Edit text and email signatures
- Apple Mac User Guide (macOS 27): Increase font size and icons on Mac