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I am able to set default font and size for message lists and reading emails, but have yet to figure out how to set a default font type and size for composing new emails.
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 13.4
Some email apps do let the user determine the font and size of what they read, but many users (including those who use Mail) will normally see what you set at your end. Mail does not let you do that by default, you have to do it for each outgoing individually in the New Message pane. An email app which does have default settings for this is Outlook.
Also, when you choose that Mail : Settings : Fonts & Colors : Message font, if you plan to use any italics in your compose message body, that Message font choice must have that italic font face installed, or the italicize text (I) button on the compose toolbar will be disabled.
dennyup wrote:
You are correct. I won't use Apple Mail for that reason. I wish they would fix it.
FWIW, there is nothing to "fix". It works as intended. If you would like something different send Apple feedback.
I probably wasn't clear enough: I am talking about setting the default "compose" font and size for new emails. I do not see any setting for that, only for message list and message font, nothing for font and size for composing new messages.
Oh yes- I see that now, and thank you so much. I have been struggling with this for a long time, & maybe wanted to make it more complicated than it needed to be. I appreciate your help with this very much!
So-now I am confused somewhat: I want my outgoing messages to be of a size that can be easily read by recipients. Or is it up to the recipient to adjust their preferred reading size? Any suggestions for an ideal outgoing font size? I use Helvetica Neue and have been experimenting with either size 18 or 20 - I don't really want the font to come across as huge either, just not tiny. Thanks. (Some messages I receive from others using iCloud mail is so tiny I can hardly see it- that's what I'm trying to avoid.)
Yes. I also use Outlook and have noticed that it will do that. But another thing I am confused about is setting the font size- In Outlook, messages set at size 14 outgoing are good and very readable, but when I use 14 in Apple Mail, it's tiny. I usually compose emails in a word processing app such as Bear Notes and then copy and paste the text into either Outlook or Apple Mail. I just never know which size to choose for Apple Mail. If I choose 18, it's on the smaller side, but if I choose the next higher number when hitting Command T it jumps to size 24 which is gigantic.
Tom Gewecke wrote:
Mail does not let you do that by default, you have to do it for each outgoing individually in the New Message pane.
FWIW, I disagree. Every new message in Mail will adhere to the size set in Mail > Settings… > Fonts & Colors > Message font:.
dennyup wrote:
So-now I am confused somewhat: I want my outgoing messages to be of a size that can be easily read by recipients. Or is it up to the recipient to adjust their preferred reading size?
As you are finding out, there is no way to guarantee what a recipient will see.
dennyup wrote:
I usually compose emails in a word processing app such as Bear Notes and then copy and paste the text into either Outlook or Apple Mail.
FWIW, since you are composing emails in Bear Notes, instead of copying and pasting you could save your composition as a PDF and add it as an attachment. Then the recipient should see what you intended when they open it.
dialabrain wrote:
FWIW, I disagree. Every new message in Mail will adhere to the size set in Mail > Settings… > Fonts & Colors > Message font:.
After you send such an email, if you go to your Sent folder and select it and do View > Message > Raw Source, do you see html codes that mention the name of the font and the point size?
dialabrain wrote:
In any case, I was referring to what the user sees.
Yes, you are correct for that. My post was aimed at the OP's statement that " I want my outgoing messages to be of a size that can be easily read by recipients. "
eriksan wrote:
"Mail : Settings : Fonts & Colors : Message font" This doesn't work in Mail 16 on macOS Ventura 13.5.2. The selected font and size are not respected when viewing received messages.
That's because "viewing" and "composing" messages are two different things.
eriksan wrote:
"Mail : Settings : Fonts & Colors : Message font" This doesn't work in Mail 16 on macOS Ventura 13.5.2. The selected font and size are not respected when viewing received messages.
It should work when the received messages are "plain text". When they are "rich text", Mail always uses the font and size chosen by the sender.
Mail 16 on macOS Ventura 13.5.2 only has one option "Font in emails" (translated, so may not be exactly this). That said, I now see that the font setting does indeed apply to some emails but not others.
How Do You Set Default Compose Font and Size in Mail
