Microsoft to Introduce New Font with Office App Update

Microsoft is set to bring a significant visual change to its productivity suites, particularly for users of 365 and Office apps. After a 15-year run, the default font Calibri will be replaced with a new one called Aptos. Although Aptos appears to be a straightforward sans-serif font in its default form, Microsoft is confident that users will appreciate its remarkable adaptability.

Aptos works in several languages. There are four different font weights and serif variations in the selection, if you need something less hyper-modern. Creator Steve Matteson (who made the first TrueType fonts for Windows) waxes poetic about Aptos, including “a little humanity” and evoking the personalities of Carl Kasell and even Stephen Colbert, but the end result is a font that’s theoretically easy to read. and eye-catching, whether you are writing a school essay or preparing a company presentation.

The font has already been available as Bierstadt as part of the feedback collection, but it will become the default font in Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word for hundreds of millions of people starting today. Everyone will see it within the next few months. It’s still available under the old name, as are the four fonts that didn’t make the cut (Grandview, Seaford, Skeena, and Tenorite). Like Calibri, Aptos is attached to the top of the font selector, but it is optional.

Yes, it’s just a font – like the 2018 redesigned Office icons, Aptos has no impact on your ability to get things done. However, the new default font is one of the most visible elements of any app, and it changes the look and feel of the tools you use every day. And like Apple’s San Francisco font, it reflects the evolving technological landscape, where the typeface must work across a wide range of devices and screen sizes.