How to Make Times New Roman Default on Word: A Step-by-Step Guide

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If you often use Microsoft Word for essays, research papers, resumes, or professional documents, you’ve probably found yourself constantly switching the font to Times New Roman. Instead of doing this every time you create a new document, you can easily set Times New Roman as your default font in Microsoft Word — saving time and ensuring consistent formatting across all your work.

In this complete guide, we’ll walk you through how to make Times New Roman default on Word for Windows, Mac, and Microsoft 365, plus share expert tips for formatting, templates, and troubleshooting font issues.

Why Make Times New Roman the Default Font

Times New Roman remains one of the most widely accepted fonts for academic writing, business communication, and professional documentation. Many universities, legal institutions, and corporations still prefer it for its readability, classic design, and formality.

Here are a few reasons to make it your default:

  • 🏛️ Academic consistency – Most research papers, especially those in MLA and APA formats, require Times New Roman 12 pt.

  • 💼 Professional standard – It’s often preferred for business reports, legal documents, and resumes.

  • 🕒 Saves time – No more manually changing the font every time you start a document.

  • 📄 Uniform formatting – Keeps all your Word files consistent.

So if you’re constantly switching from Calibri or Arial to Times New Roman, it’s time to make it permanent.

Understanding Word’s Default Font Settings

When you create a new Word document, it uses a default font style based on the Normal template (Normal.dotm).
By changing this default font setting, you’re effectively telling Word to always use your preferred font — in this case, Times New Roman — every time you open a new blank document.

That means:

  • New documents = Times New Roman

  • Existing documents = unchanged (you’ll still need to manually change those)

How to Make Times New Roman Default on Word (Windows)

Let’s start with how to do this on Microsoft Word for Windows 10 or 11 (Office 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365).

Step-by-Step:

  1. Open Microsoft Word.
    Launch Word and open a blank document.

  2. Go to the “Home” tab.
    This tab is located in the top ribbon.

  3. Click the Font dialog box launcher.
    In the Font group, click the small arrow in the bottom-right corner.
    (Alternatively, press Ctrl + D.)

  4. Choose “Times New Roman.”

    • In the Font drop-down list, scroll or type Times New Roman.

    • Select your preferred Font style (e.g., Regular).

    • Choose your desired Size (e.g., 12).

  5. Click “Set As Default.”

    • You’ll see a button at the bottom-left of the dialog box labeled Set As Default.

    • Click it.

  6. Select the scope.
    A window will appear asking:

    • “This document only?”

    • “All documents based on the Normal template?”

    Choose “All documents based on the Normal template” → click OK.

✅ Done! Every new document you create will now use Times New Roman automatically.

How to Make Times New Roman Default on Word for Mac

If you’re using Microsoft Word for Mac (Office 365 or standalone versions), the process is similar but slightly different in layout.

Here’s how:

  1. Open Word on your Mac.

  2. Go to the Home tab.

  3. Click the Font dialog arrow (bottom-right of the Font section).

  4. Select Times New Roman as your font.

  5. Choose your preferred size (typically 12 pt).

  6. Click the Default… button at the bottom of the window.

  7. When prompted, choose “All documents based on the Normal template” and press OK.

That’s it — from now on, all new Word documents will automatically use Times New Roman.

How to Make Times New Roman Default in Word Online (Microsoft 365 Web)

If you use the web version of Word (Word Online) through Microsoft 365, the font settings are more limited, but you can still apply a workaround.

Option 1: Change the font manually in each document

Unfortunately, the web version does not currently allow changing the global default font. You’ll need to:

  1. Highlight all text (Ctrl + A).

  2. Select Times New Roman from the font dropdown.

  3. Save the file.

Option 2: Use a custom template

You can create a Word document in Times New Roman, save it to OneDrive, and reuse it:

  1. Create a blank document.

  2. Set the entire document to Times New Roman, 12 pt.

  3. Click File → Save As Template (or save as a regular .docx file).

  4. Reuse this file whenever you need a new document.

This method effectively mimics a default font change in Word Online.

How to Set Times New Roman as Default in a Template

If you frequently use different templates (e.g., resumes, letters, reports), you can set Times New Roman as the default font for a specific template.

To do this:

  1. Open the template file (.dotx or .dotm).

  2. Go to the Home tab → open the Font dialog (Ctrl + D).

  3. Choose Times New Roman, set the size, and click Set As Default.

  4. Select This template only, then click OK.

  5. Save the template file.

Now every new document created from that template will automatically use Times New Roman.

How to Change Default Font Size Along with Font

If you also want to change the font size, you can do both at once.

For academic or business writing, the standard is Times New Roman, 12 pt.

Here’s how to include that in your default settings:

  1. Open Font dialog (Ctrl + D).

  2. Select Times New Roman under Font.

  3. Choose 12 under Size.

  4. Click Set As Default → All documents based on the Normal template → OK.

Now your default font and font size are both permanently set.

How to Reset the Default Font in Word

If you ever want to undo your changes and return to Word’s default font (usually Calibri, 11 pt), follow these steps:

  1. Open Word.

  2. Press Ctrl + D to open Font settings.

  3. Choose Calibri (or your preferred alternative).

  4. Set the size back to 11.

  5. Click Set As Default → All documents based on the Normal template → OK.

Alternatively, you can delete the Normal template file, and Word will recreate it automatically with default settings.

To delete the Normal template (Windows):

  • Path:

    C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\

  • Delete the file named Normal.dotm.

  • Restart Word — it will rebuild a fresh Normal template.

Troubleshooting: Default Font Not Saving

Sometimes, Word doesn’t save your default font settings. Here’s how to fix it:

Problem Possible Cause Solution
Font reverts to Calibri after restart Word doesn’t have permission to save the Normal template Close Word → Right-click Word icon → “Run as administrator” → Repeat font setup.
Settings apply to one document only You chose “This document only” instead of “All documents” Redo the process and select “All documents based on Normal template.”
Font resets when updating Word Template got overwritten Backup and restore your Normal.dotm file.
Font unavailable on another computer Times New Roman not installed Ensure the font is available on all devices or embed it in your document.

✅ Pro Tip: Always close all Word windows before changing default settings — open sessions can override new defaults.

Why Times New Roman Is Still the Academic and Business Standard

Despite modern fonts like Calibri and Segoe UI, Times New Roman continues to dominate in professional and academic settings because of its:

  • Classic legibility: Designed for clear readability, even in print.

  • Formal aesthetic: Ideal for official, legal, and academic documents.

  • Compatibility: Universally available across Word, Google Docs, and PDFs.

  • Institutional standards: Required by many universities, courts, and publishers.

In short, Times New Roman isn’t just tradition — it’s practicality and professionalism combined.

Tips for Using Times New Roman Professionally

Tip Why It Matters
Use 12 pt for readability Standard across most formatting styles
Combine with 1-inch margins Matches APA, MLA, and Chicago guidelines
Set line spacing to double for essays Required in most academic formats
Avoid overusing bold or italics Maintain clean and consistent look
Use black text on white background Ensures clarity and printer-friendliness

FAQs

1. How do I permanently set Times New Roman as the default font in Word?

Open Word → Home → Font dialog → Select “Times New Roman” → Click “Set As Default” → Choose “All documents based on Normal template” → OK.

2. Why does my default font keep changing back to Calibri?

Word might not be saving the Normal template. Try running Word as administrator, then reapply the setting.

3. Can I set Times New Roman as default in Word Online?

Not directly. You can, however, create a custom Times New Roman template and reuse it.

4. How do I change the default font in existing documents?

Select all text (Ctrl + A) → Choose Times New Roman → Save. Default font changes only apply to new documents.

5. What’s the standard font size for Times New Roman?

12-point is the default for academic and business documents.

Key Takeaways

✅ Summary
⚙️ Use the Font dialog (Ctrl + D) to set Times New Roman as default.
📄 Choose “All documents based on the Normal template.”
💻 Word Online requires custom templates for consistent fonts.
🧾 Use 12 pt for formal or academic documents.
🧠 Run Word as administrator if settings don’t save properly.

Conclusion

Changing your default font to Times New Roman in Microsoft Word is a simple but powerful customization that enhances productivity and consistency. Whether you’re preparing essays, professional reports, or resumes, setting it once saves you the hassle of adjusting every new document.

Now you know exactly how to make Times New Roman default on Word — for Windows, Mac, and Office 365 Online — and how to keep those settings from resetting.

Set it once, and let your writing always start with the right tone — clean, classic, and professional.

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