Office for Mac Issues

Fix Calibri Light Font Changing When Bold Applied in Word for Mac

Bushra Parveen Oct 9, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users experience a font display issue where applying bold formatting to text formatted in Calibri Light causes the displayed font to change unexpectedly.

How to Fix Calibri Light Font Changing When Bold is Applied in Word for Mac

Product: Microsoft Word for Mac
Device & OS: macOS Ventura
Scenario: Formatting document text with bold emphasis while using the Calibri Light font.
Observed behavior: When bold is applied to Calibri Light text, the displayed font changes to a different font. Manually selecting a new font and returning to Calibri corrects it temporarily.

Before you start

Ensure you have saved your current document and closed any background applications before updating your operating system or Microsoft Office software.

Solution 1Recommended

Update macOS and Word for Mac

The most effective way to fix this font rendering bug is by installing the latest software updates for both your Mac operating system and Microsoft Word.

This bug was primarily reported in Word for Mac version 16.79.1 on macOS Ventura. Testing shows the issue is completely resolved in newer versions, such as Word 16.79.2 on macOS Sonoma.

Update Word for Mac

Open Microsoft Word, navigate to the 'Help' menu at the top of the screen, and click 'Check for Updates'. Follow the prompts via Microsoft AutoUpdate to install the newest version.

Update macOS

Click the Apple logo in the top left corner, select 'System Settings', click 'General' in the sidebar, and choose 'Software Update'. Install the latest available macOS version (such as Sonoma).

Restart your Mac

Once all updates are installed, click the Apple menu and select 'Restart'. Reopen your document and test the bold formatting on Calibri Light text.

Update Confirmed: Updating to Word version 16.79.2 or later will permanently prevent the font from shifting when bold is applied.

Solution 2

Use Standard Calibri as the Default Font

If updating your software is not immediately possible, switching your default font from Calibri Light to standard Calibri prevents the display issue from occurring.

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Experience Flawless Font Formatting with WPS Office for Mac

Tired of dealing with formatting glitches and font bugs in Word for Mac? Switch to WPS Office, a highly compatible, lightweight, and free alternative that renders fonts perfectly without display errors.

1. Download and Install: Get the free WPS Office installation package for macOS from the official WPS website and drag it into your Applications folder.
2. Open Your Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing Word document to immediately experience perfectly rendered text and layouts.
3. Format Without Bugs: Select your text, apply Calibri Light, and use bold formatting securely knowing the display will not glitch or change unexpectedly.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the font change when I bold Calibri Light in Word for Mac?

This is a known font-rendering bug within specific versions of Word for Mac (such as 16.79.1) running on macOS Ventura. The software struggles to correctly display the bold variant of the Calibri Light font, causing it to default to a different visual style temporarily.

Will this font bug affect how my document prints?

Generally, this is strictly an on-screen display issue within the Word for Mac application. However, it is highly recommended to update your software so your editing environment accurately reflects your final printed document.

Can I fix this by reinstalling the Calibri Light font in Font Book?

No, reinstalling the font locally via macOS Font Book rarely fixes this specific issue. The problem stems from how the Word software handles the font weight natively, which is why updating Microsoft Word itself is the required solution.

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