Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Changing the Default Font for Envelopes.

Changing the Default Font for Envelopes

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 20, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021


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Word includes an Envelopes feature that makes it pretty easy to create your own professional-looking envelopes. The feature makes certain assumptions about how different parts of the envelope should be printed. This includes the font that Word uses to print the envelope's information.

When creating an envelope, Word depends on predefined styles. The style used for the main address on the envelope is, appropriately enough, Envelope Address. Likewise, the style used for the return address is named Envelope Return. When you instruct Word to create the envelope, these styles are grabbed and used for formatting the addresses on the envelope.

If you want to change the font used by Word in creating envelopes, you need to change the style used for this purpose by Word. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Create a new, blank document. Unless you specify a different template, Word creates a new document based on either the Normal.dotx or Normal.dotm template, depending on your system. (If you want to fix this problem in other templates, you should open the template directly or create a blank document based on that template.)
  2. Display the Home tab of the ribbon.
  3. Click the small icon at the bottom-right of the Styles group. Word displays the Styles pane.
  4. Click Options at the bottom of the Styles pane. Word displays the Style Pane Options dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  5. Figure 1. The Style Pane Options dialog box.

  6. Using the Select Styles to Show drop-down list, choose All Styles.
  7. Click OK to close the Style Pane Options dialog box.
  8. In the Styles pane, scroll through the list of styles until you see the Envelope Address style.
  9. Hover the mouse pointer over the Envelope Address style name. Notice that a downward-pointing arrow appears at the right side of the style name.
  10. Click on the downward-pointing arrow and choose the Modify option from the resulting menu. Word displays the Modify Style dialog box. (See Figure 2.)
  11. Figure 2. The Modify Style dialog box.

  12. Click on the Format button, then choose the Font option. Word displays the Font dialog box. (See Figure 3.)
  13. Figure 3. The Font dialog box.

  14. Change the font information, as desired.
  15. Click on OK to close the Font dialog box.
  16. Make sure the New Documents Based On this Template radio button is selected.
  17. Click on OK.
  18. Close the Styles pane, if desired.

When done, you should repeat these steps if you want to change the font used for the return address. The only difference, of course, is that in steps 7 and 8 you should select the Envelope Return style.

When you save your document or close Word, you are asked if you want to save your changes to the template. Make sure you do this. Your envelopes, when created in a document that uses this template, should now use the font you specified.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6111) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Changing the Default Font for Envelopes.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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What is 6 - 0?

2024-02-19 16:17:26

David

Well, now! I'd have NEVER guessed how to change the default font for printing addresses on envelopes without your clear, well presented, accurate instructions. Thank you for doing that! My envelopes will forever be better now.


2023-06-08 20:09:23

Jan

This didn't work for me and I'm tired of wasting envelopes. It USED to work, so I don't know what has changed - perhaps an update from MS?


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