Word opens every new blank document based on a template called Normal — including its default font, size and spacing.
That template isn't fixed. You can change what it starts you with, permanently, in about four clicks.
Here's the trick:
Set a font or style and click Set as Default — every document you create from now on starts with it already applied.
How to use it
- Select text formatted the way you want future documents to start.
- Open the Font dialog — click the small diagonal arrow in the bottom-right corner of the Font group on the Home tab.
- Click "Set As Default" in the bottom-left of the dialog.
- Choose "All documents based on the Normal template" when prompted.
Where it helps most
Anyone who resets the same font, size or color every time they start a new document, rather than starting from a default they actually like.
One thing to watch for
This changes the Normal template on your computer, not a specific file — a colleague opening the same document on their own machine won't see your default, only new documents you personally create afterward.
Found a faster way to do this, or a version that works differently on Mac? That's what the comments are for — this section connects to your comment system of choice (Disqus, giscus, etc.) once the site is live.