Formatting Issues

Fix Arial Displaying as Times New Roman in SharePoint Excel

Steve K Oct 1, 2026 868 views

Question details

A user's Excel workbook displays the Arial font as Times New Roman when viewed through a SharePoint document library in Microsoft 365, despite the font menu indicating Arial is selected.

How to Fix Arial Appearing as Times New Roman in SharePoint Excel

Product: Microsoft Excel, SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Opening an Excel workbook stored in a SharePoint document library via a web browser.
Observed behavior: The text renders in Times New Roman instead of the original Arial font, even though the font dropdown menu correctly displays Arial.

Before you start

Ensure your Excel file is saved in the modern .xlsx format rather than the older .xls format, as modern formatting features and web rendering are better supported.

Solution 1Recommended

Clear Browser Cache and Perform a Hard Refresh

Clearing the browser's temporary files and forcing a hard refresh is the most effective way to resolve web-based font rendering glitches in SharePoint.

Web browsers rely on cached files to load pages faster. When viewing Microsoft 365 files online, a corrupted cache can prevent the browser from loading fonts correctly, forcing it to fall back to a default font like Times New Roman.

Perform a Hard Refresh

While viewing the Excel file in SharePoint, press Ctrl + F5 (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac) to force the browser to reload the page without using cached data.

Access Browser Settings

If the issue persists, open your browser settings (e.g., clicking the three dots in Chrome or Edge) and navigate to the 'Privacy and security' section.

Clear Browsing Data

Select 'Clear browsing data', check the box specifically for 'Cached images and files', and click 'Clear data'. Restart your browser and reopen the SharePoint file.

Clear Browser Cache and Perform a Hard Refresh

Issue Resolved: Clearing the browser cache successfully resolves this font display error for the majority of Microsoft 365 web users.

Solution 2

Verify File Format and Re-upload

Ensure the workbook is saved in the correct modern format, as older formats may trigger web rendering anomalies.

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Try WPS Office for Reliable Spreadsheet Formatting

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1. Download WPS Office: Download and install WPS Office on your computer for free.
2. Open the Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and click 'Open' to locate your downloaded Excel file.
3. View with Accurate Formatting: Enjoy accurate formatting and font rendering without web browser caching issues.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do fonts change when opening Excel files in a browser?

Web browsers rely on locally installed fonts and cached web fonts to render documents. If a font fails to load or the browser cache is corrupted, it may fall back to a default serif font like Times New Roman.

Can I embed fonts in Excel to prevent this issue?

Unlike Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, Excel does not have a native feature to embed fonts directly into the workbook. Relying on standard web-safe fonts like Arial usually works smoothly, provided your browser cache is clear.

Does this font rendering issue happen on all browsers?

Yes, caching and font rendering glitches can occur across all major browsers, including Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox, when using Microsoft 365 online.

Document & File Issues