1) Open a new document.
Call up the Font dialog box:
Format è
Font
set
your preferred font and click on the "Default" button (lower
left of dialog box).
This is easiest method but is not complete. It is the method recommended by Microsoft in their Knowledge Base
at: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q211/6/68.ASP
2) To complete your change you should change not only
the default font but also the default style. To do this, open the Normal.dot template either from
within Word or if in Windows, right-click on Normal.dot and
select "Open."
Open the Style dialog box - Format
è
Styles...
and choose the Body Text style.
Click on the
Modify button.
Where it says "Based On" Normal scroll up to
the top of the list where it says (no style).
Change the Font
to what you want
(Format (button) è
Font)
Change the language back from (no proofing) to
English (or whatever your language)
(Format (button)
è
Language).
Set up your default paragraph formatting (space before,
indents, tab settings, etc.)
(Format (button)
è
Paragraph).
Click on the OK button. Click on
the OK button (different OK button).
Click on the Apply button.
Type the letter
"a" or any character and then press backspace (forcing Word to
recognize that you have changed Normal.dot).
Save and close
Normal.dot.
The first step is quick and easy. The
second step will make it much more likely that if you give
your documents to someone else that they will see what you sent
them. (In my opinion) typing in normal style and basing styles on the
normal style
make for much confusion in transferred documents.
For more about styles, see Understanding
Styles at http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm. For more about
the Normal.dot template (and other templates) see Template
Basics at http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm.
See also:
Default Paragraph Font Explained by Suzanne Barnhill, MVP
