After a fresh install, every time I try to use the font tool, it defaults to the "Sans" font. I don't have this font on my computer. The red circle with the white exclamation in the font selection dropdown tells me that Inkscape knows that "Sans" isn't on my computer. The only way that I could get the font that I wanted was to type out the text and then change the properties afterwards.

I finally fixed it by going to the Preferences window, Text screen, and selecting the "Last used style" radio button under "Style of new objects"

But if I go back to "This tool's own style" it defaults to the last font selected, regardless of what font I select before placing the cursor.

Selecting the "Last used style" option corrects the problem for me. I am not sure if the font getting stuck on one font issue is more than just my system, if it's functioning as designed, or if it is a clue to a potential bug in the application. Just wanted to raise the issue, just in case.

Thanks, Greg