Office starts in a language you weren't expecting after installation? You don't need to reinstall it. Microsoft provides free language packs that let you switch the interface at any time. This guide explains which language settings exist and how to change them on Windows and on the Mac.
Three language settings worth telling apart
Office distinguishes between three settings that can be configured independently of one another:
- Display language – determines the language of menus, buttons and dialog boxes.
- Editing language – the language of your text. Among other things, it controls hyphenation and sorting.
- Proofing tools – spelling and grammar checking for a specific language.
A German interface with English spell checking is therefore not a fault – it's simply a matter of settings.
Before you start: 32-bit or 64-bit?
A language pack must match the bitness of your Office installation. Open Word and select File → Account → About Word. The top line of the window shows whether it's a 32-bit or 64-bit version. Make a note of this before downloading a pack.
Changing the display language on Windows
The language you want is already available
- Open Word and click File → Options.
- Select Language in the left-hand column.
- In the Office display language section, select the language you want.
- Click Set as Preferred (in older versions of Office, the button is called Set as Default).
- Close all Office programs and restart them.
The language you want isn't installed yet
- Under File → Options → Language, in the display language section, click the link to install additional display languages from Office.com. Office then opens the relevant Microsoft page with the available language packs.
- Choose your language and the bitness you determined earlier, then download the pack.
- Run the downloaded file and wait for the installation to finish.
- Restart all Office programs.
- Go back to File → Options → Language, select the new language and set it as preferred.
Spelling and grammar checking for additional languages
- Go to File → Options → Language.
- Check the list of authoring languages and proofing. If a language shows Not installed, the proofing tools are missing.
- Click this note. It takes you straight to the right language pack.
- Install the pack and then open your document.
- Select the text and assign the language you want via Review → Language → Set Proofing Language.
Office on the Mac
There are no separate language packs on the Mac: Office takes its display language from macOS. Open System Settings → General → Language & Region (on older versions of macOS, go straight to System Preferences → Language & Region) and drag your preferred language to the very top of the list of preferred languages. If you only want Word, Excel or PowerPoint to appear in a different language, set a separate language for that program in the per-app section of the same window. The change takes effect the next time you start the program.
A special case: volume licences
If you installed Office under a volume licence, add further languages using the Office Deployment Tool rather than the language pack download page.
Common problems and solutions
- The language pack won't install: In most cases, the bitness doesn't match your Office installation. Check it under File → Account → About Word and download the matching pack.
- The menus still appear in the old language: All Office programs really must be closed – including Outlook and any components running in the background. Restarting the computer is the most reliable option.
- Only one program uses the new language: The language was probably only selected but not set as preferred. Do this in Options.
- Correctly spelt words are underlined in red: Existing documents keep their original language assignment. Select all of the text and assign the correct language via Review → Language.
Any questions? Email us at support@mykeys24.com, stating your Office version and the language you want. Our support team is available Monday to Sunday from 10:00 to 19:00.
