How to revert to the default message list font in Apple Mail MacOS Tahoe

This method deletes the custom setting, forcing Mail to revert to the system default.

1. Quit Mail. Make sure the Mail app is completely closed (you can use Command + Q or go to Mail > Quit Mail).
2. Open Terminal. You can find it in Applications/Utilities.
3. Run the command: Paste the following command and press Enter:

defaults delete -app Mail MessageListFont

1. Restart Mail. When you open Mail again, the message list font should be back to the default system font (which is typically San Francisco or a related "System Font Regular" depending on the macOS version, usually size 11).

Open Mail.

Go to Mail in the menu bar and choose Settings (or Preferences on older macOS versions).

Click on the Fonts & Colors tab.

Next to Message list font, click the Select... button.

In the Font picker window, try to select the system default font. This is often:

• Collection: All Fonts or English
• Font: SF Pro or System Font Regular (if available)
• Size: 11

If you find what appears to be the system default, select it and close the window.

ont Book Reset (If the Issue is System-Wide)

If you're having general font issues after a macOS update (which is sometimes the case after an upgrade like Tahoe), you can try resetting your system fonts. Use this with caution, as it affects all system fonts.

1. Quit Mail and all other applications.
2. Open Font Book (in Applications).
3. Go to the File menu and choose Restore Standard Fonts... (or a similar option like "Reset Fonts" in the advanced settings).
4. This will move non-standard fonts out of your system font folders and may help resolve conflicts.
5. Restart your Mac after this process, then check Mail.

If you have any trouble running the Terminal command, or if the font looks different after trying these steps, let me know! Were you able to successfully revert the font using the Terminal command?