Choosing the right font in PowerPoint will help you with readability, tone, and how your message is received. If your slides are hard to read or don’t show up correctly on another computer, your audience can get frustrated.
The best fonts for PowerPoint presentations are ones that are available by default on most devices, so you can avoid glitches. Have you ever opened a presentation and gotten an error message or seen layouts that seem misaligned? That can happen if you use external or purchased fonts that not everyone has. So for our suggestions, we'll stick to system fonts. No downloads required!
Below, we’ll break down what makes a good presentation font and share five professional, reliable PowerPoint fonts that work great in any business, nonprofit, or educational setting.
What Makes a Font Good for PowerPoint?
A great presentation font should be:
- Highly legible even at small sizes
- Simple and professional in tone
- Compatible across devices (avoid niche fonts that could break when opened elsewhere)
- Flexible enough for headings, body text, and data
Don't get too caught up in trends. You don’t need dozens of options. Having just a couple of solid fonts to fall back on is all you need.
As a professional presentation designer, I use the same handful of fonts for 75% of my presentations.
5 of the Best Fonts for PowerPoint (No Downloads Needed)
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Calibri (Sans Serif)
PowerPoint’s former default font, Calibri is clean, modern, and incredibly readable. It works well for both headings and body copy, making it a versatile choice for business decks. You can use Calibri anywhere!
Best for: Corporate and business presentations, project updates, proposal decks
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Arial (Sans Serif)
Arial is a classic, reliable workhorse. It's neutral, clean, and available on almost every system. Some may think it lacks personality, but its simplicity helps your content take center stage.
Best for: Timelines, charts, overviews
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Segoe UI (Sans Serif)
A sleek, modern sans-serif that’s highly legible and professional. In fact, this is the default typeface across Microsoft platforms, making it a smart and compatible choice for most PC presentations.
Best for: Data-heavy slides, accessibility, business presentations, reports, and pitch decks
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Times New Roman (Serif)
Yes, serif fonts can work! If you want a more traditional or editorial feel, this is the way to go. Times New Roman is formal, academic, and best used for short headlines or quotes (not large body text).
Best for: Annual reports, nonprofit updates, quotes
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Bell MT (Serif)
Bell MT is a timeless serif with a graceful structure. It combines classical design with digital readability, making it ideal for presentations that require a touch of tradition or authority.
Best for: Case studies, brand storytelling with personality, reports, nonprofit decks, and educational content
Tip: Try Not to Rely on Custom Fonts
Even if you have a favorite Google or Adobe font, be careful when using those in PowerPoint. If you pass your deck around, and your audience doesn’t have that font installed, your carefully designed layout can default to a substitute font, ruining your intended spacing and design.
When in doubt, it's safest stick to standard, widely supported ones.
See These Fonts in Action
There’s no one “perfect” font for every presentation, but here are time-tested ones that will always look polished and professional. Stick to these fonts that are easy to read and safe to share! Keep it simple, consistent, and audience-first.
Click on each image below to see the full presentation with a preview of all slides.
Calibri Example
Segoe UI Example
