# How do I change the font or style of a token?

> Bold, colour and font only stick to a personalization token when your selection covers the whole token, braces included. Here is how to format tokens.

## Formatting Personalization Tokens

Select the **whole token, including both pairs of curly braces**, then apply your font, size, colour, bold or italic. In `{{ First Name }}` the selection has to run from the first `{` to the last `}`. A selection that covers only `First Name` does not keep the style.

For consistent formatting across a greeting or the whole email, select that larger area instead. Any tokens inside it are covered automatically.

  ![Diagram comparing a correct selection covering the whole token with an incorrect one leaving the braces outside, and the merged result of each](https://www.securemailmerge.com/screenshots/token-selection-grid.png)

## Options for Consistent Message Styling

- **Whole message.** Select the entire body (Ctrl+A, or Cmd+A on Mac) and apply the font and size. Use this when the whole email should be in one typeface.
- **A line or paragraph.** Triple-click it, then apply the formatting. Useful for a styled greeting such as `Dear {{ First Name }},`.
- **One token.** Drag from just **before** the opening `{{` to just **after** the closing `}}`. Use this when only the merged value should stand out, for example an invoice number in bold.

Two habits catch people out when formatting a single token:

- **Double-clicking selects a word, not the token.** In `{{ First Name }}` you get `First` or `Name`, and the braces stay behind.
- **Ctrl+Shift+arrow also moves by word**, so it can stop between the column name and the closing braces.

If in doubt, extend the selection a character or two into the surrounding text.

## Best Practice for Writing Emails

1. Write the plain text of your email.
2. Insert the tokens with "Select a column to add to your email:" and the "Add to body" or "Add to subject" buttons.
3. Apply your formatting last, selecting whole lines or the whole body where you can.
4. Send a test email with "Send test email to yourself".

The test email uses the first row of your spreadsheet, so check the formatting of the merged values themselves, not just the text around them.

## Note for Conditional Tags

SecureMailMerge only removes stray HTML from inside `{{ ... }}` tokens, not from the control tags used by [conditions](https://www.securemailmerge.com/help/conditions/), which look like `{% if New == "TRUE" %}`. Formatting part of a condition tag can leave HTML inside it, which can fail with a [Liquid syntax error](https://www.securemailmerge.com/help/error-liquid-syntax/).

Apply formatting to the content between `{% if %}` and `{% endif %}` instead. That is the part your recipients see.

  ![Diagram comparing formatting the message inside a condition block with incorrectly formatting part of the condition tag](https://www.securemailmerge.com/screenshots/condition-formatting-comparison.png)

> **How much formatting to use**
>
> Formatting in email is a request, not a guarantee, and clients apply their own rules. Keep the email in one readable typeface and use bold sparingly, and if your template does use a more involved design, send a test to a couple of different clients before starting the campaign.