We've all opened up a blank Google Document and started typing in that standard Size 11 Arial font. Wouldn't it be nice if you could have Docs default to your preferred size and font? You can!
Before I dive into it, just keep in mind that you always want your fonts to be easily readable, so I do not recommend opting for something too decorative. My preferred font in Google is called Lexend. There are a bunch of different varieties, but they are all designed specifically for readability. In fact, studies have been done proving that using this font family increases reading speed and scores in students. If you're interested, you can read about those studies and how and why the font was designed.
Enough typography nerd-ery...let's get into how to actually change your default font! Open a new document and type a few words. Then highlight those words and change the font to whatever size and style you want. If you don't see anything you like in the dropdown menu, you can always select "More fonts" at the top of the font menu:
(Side note, if you're interested in all the different Lexend fonts discussed in the website above, they can be found in "More fonts"!)
Next, ensure your text is highlighted again and find the dropdown menu right next to the font menu (it says "Normal text"). Click that, hover over "Normal text", and click "Update 'Normal text' to match":
If you ever use any of the other sections of that dropdown menu (Title, Subtitle, Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.), you can follow the same procedure for changing the font/style of all of those. If you don't use them, you can leave them as is - the only "required" one to change is "Normal text". Here's what it might look like when I adjust them all to use different variations of Lexend:
Once you select "Update ___ to match" for each style, the last piece of the puzzle is to go back into that same dropdown menu one more time. You should see that all of the previews have changed to your new settings. Now hover over "Options". Then select "Save as my default styles":
To make sure it worked, open up a new blank Google Document and start typing...if you did everything correctly, it should start typing in whatever you set as your "Normal text"!
Happy Customizing!!
Comments