How to Change the Language in Microsoft Word
Can come in handy if you’re multilingual
Are you looking to change Microsoft Word from English to another language? This tutorial will teach you how to do that in the Word app for desktop and its free online version at Office for the web.
By default, Microsoft Word matches its display and editing languages with your computer’s system language. In Word for Windows, however, you can easily have different languages available.
If you use Word for macOS or Word Online, you can still change the display and editing languages, although the process isn’t straightforward and convenient as on PC.
Change Language in Word for Windows
Word for Windows allows you to set a display and editing language independent of the system language through the program’s Options configuration pane.
For example, you can make Windows display its user interface in French despite the operating system appearing in English. Additionally, you can use the same or a different language to author and proof documents—e.g., Spanish.
Note: Changes you make to Word’s language preferences affect other Microsoft Office applications like Excel and PowerPoint.
The display and help language impact the Word user interface (or UI), such as the buttons, menus, and documentation. To change it:
The editing language (or the authoring and proofing language) in Word is what you use to create and edit documents. Not all languages have proofing tools and dictionaries for grammar and spell check. To change it:
How to Change Word Language on a Mac
Word for macOS doesn’t come with versatile language controls like Windows. Hence, the only way to change the display language from the program requires you to switch the system language itself. You shouldn’t have trouble changing Word’s editing and proofing language, though.
Changing the macOS language impacts the Word user interface and other programs that switch languages based on system preferences. If you want to go ahead, save your work and quit all open programs. Then:
You can change the editing language directly via Word for macOS. Proofing tools are only available in some languages.
Change the Language in Word Online
If you use Word via Office for the web, you can change the display and editing languages using the following instructions.
To make the Word Online user interface appear in a different language, you must change the Office display language through your Microsoft Account profile.
Word Online uses the display language as its editing language. If you want to use a different language for proofing, you must change that for each document you open.
To reiterate, you must pick an editing language each time you want to use one different from the display language.
Use Your Preferred Display and Editing Language in Word
As you just saw, changing the display language, the editing language, or both in Microsoft Word is more than possible. That should come in handy if you’re bilingual or multilingual. Sure—the macOS and online versions of Office don’t make things painless, but it shouldn’t give you too much trouble. Don’t forget toinstall a matching keyboard language for your Windows or macOS computerif you change the editing language.
Dilum Senevirathne is a freelance tech writer and blogger with three years of experience writing for online technology publications. He specializes in topics related to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and Google web apps. When he isn’t hammering away at his Magic Keyboard, you can catch him binge-watching productivity hacks on YouTube.Read Dilum’s Full Bio
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