# Workbook fonts, animations and legends

*Tableau Desktop Foundations Study Guide · Sharing Insights · Last updated October 29, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/tableau-desktop-foundations/sharing-insights/workbook-fonts-animations-and-legends*

How to set fonts for every view with Format > Workbook or for one view with Format > Font (including totals), configure Format > Animations and know what never animates, and show, hide and highlight with legend cards.

- Certification: Salesforce Tableau Desktop Foundations
- Exam section: Sharing Insights
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/tableau-desktop-foundations

**Official exam objective:**

> Format view for presentation: Use color from the marks card; Configure fonts; Format marks as shapes; Configure viz animations; Change size of marks; Show and hide legends.

## What the exam expects

- Choose between Format > Workbook (every view) and Format > Font (one view) to configure fonts, including special fonts for totals and grand totals.
- Configure viz animations with Format > Animations: workbook default, per-sheet override, duration, and Simultaneous versus Sequential style.
- Predict which parts of a view don't animate.
- Show and hide legend cards without removing the encoding, and turn legend highlighting on or off.

Key terms:
- **Format Workbook pane:** the pane opened by Format > Workbook whose font and line settings apply to every view.
- **Worksheet-level formatting:** Format menu settings (Font, Shading, Borders, Lines and so on) that apply only to the current view.
- **Sequential animation:** a style that fades marks out, moves and sorts them, then fades them in.
- **Legend card:** the card that shows what each color, size or shape encodes.
- **Legend highlighting:** selecting a legend item highlights its marks and dims the others.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fonts for every view | Format > Workbook | [Format at the Workbook Level](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/formatting_workbook.htm) |
| Workbook font change | Overwrites earlier worksheet-level font changes | [Format at the Workbook Level](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/formatting_workbook.htm) |
| Worksheet formatting scope | Only the current view | [Format at the Worksheet Level](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/formatting_worksheet.htm) |
| Totals font | Format > Font has separate settings for totals and grand totals | [Format at the Worksheet Level](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/formatting_worksheet.htm) |
| Animate every sheet | Format > Animations, Workbook Default On | [Format Animations](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/formatting_animations.htm) |
| Custom animation duration | Up to 10 seconds | [Format Animations](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/formatting_animations.htm) |
| Default style | Simultaneous; Sequential fades out, moves and sorts, fades in | [Format Animations](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/formatting_animations.htm) |
| Never animated | Pie and text marks, headers, forecasts, trends, reference lines | [Format Animations](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/formatting_animations.htm) |
| Turn off for yourself | Help > Settings and Performance, clear Enable Animations | [Format Animations](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/formatting_animations.htm) |
| Hide a legend | Show/Hide Cards on the toolbar | [Reorganizing the Workspace](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/environ_workspace_reorganize.htm) |
| Default highlighting mode | Two-way | [Legend Highlighting](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/actions_highlight_colorlegend.htm) |
| Legend highlighting in Desktop | Creates a highlight action in the Actions dialog | [Legend Highlighting](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/actions_highlight_colorlegend.htm) |

## Check yourself

- Why does a workbook-level font change sometimes undo a title font you set on one sheet?
- What does Reset All Sheets in the Animations pane do?
- Why might a viz with animations on show no animation in the browser?
- Besides the Highlight button, where can you turn on legend highlighting in Tableau Desktop?

## Sources

- [Format at the Workbook Level](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/formatting_workbook.htm)
- [Format at the Worksheet Level](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/formatting_worksheet.htm)
- [Format Animations](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/formatting_animations.htm)
- [Reorganizing the Workspace](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/environ_workspace_reorganize.htm)
- [Legend Highlighting](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/actions_highlight_colorlegend.htm)
- [Parts of the View](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/view_parts.htm)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 6 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Tableau Desktop Foundations pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams