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How to Change Word’s Menu Language: A Step-by-Step Guide

Word’s menu language depends on your platform. Follow the steps for Windows, Mac, mobile, or Word for the web, and keep display language separate from spell-checking.
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To change the language of Word’s menus, use the setting for your platform: in Word for Windows, choose a preferred Office display language; on Mac and mobile, change the device’s language; and in Word for the web, check the language settings for the service hosting your document. Menu language is separate from the language Word uses for typing and spell-checking.

Display, editing, and proofing languages are different

Microsoft describes three language areas in Office: display, editing or authoring, and proofing. Display language controls menus, buttons, ribbons, and dialog boxes. Editing or authoring language applies to composing content and can affect text direction and layout. Proofing language determines which language-specific spelling and grammar tools Word uses. Changing one does not necessarily change the others.

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Change the menu language in Word for Windows

  1. Open Word and select File > Options > Language.
  2. Under Office display language, select the language you want.
  3. Select Set as Preferred.
  4. If the language is not listed, select Add a Language, follow the prompts, then set it as preferred under Office display language.

Adding a language as an editing or authoring language alone may not change the menus. If the language is unavailable as a display option, availability depends on your Office language version and installed language resources. Microsoft says the Office Language Accessory Pack may provide display and proofing resources for supported languages.

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Change the menu language on a Mac

  1. Open System Settings > General > Language & Region.
  2. Move the language you want to use to the top of the preferred-language list.
  3. Restart Office apps for the change to take effect.

Office for Mac takes its interface language from the operating system’s primary language. Microsoft’s support instructions may use the older macOS label System Preferences. Microsoft says Office for Mac includes its available languages and does not require an additional language download to change the interface language. To change Word’s editing language instead, use Tools > Language in Word for Mac.

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Change the menu language on iPhone, iPad, or Android

Word’s interface on iOS and Android follows the language set on the device. Change the device language in its settings; the exact steps depend on the device and operating-system version. This changes the app interface, not necessarily the proofing language used for a document. Microsoft provides separate proofing-language instructions for mobile Office apps.

Change the menu language in Word for the web

Word for the web generally follows the language preference of the service where the document is stored, such as OneDrive or SharePoint. For a personal Microsoft account, Microsoft also points to the preferred display-language setting in the account profile. Check the relevant service or account preference if Word’s web menus remain in another language. For spelling and grammar instead, use Review > Editor > Set Proofing Language in Word for the web. To apply a proofing-language change to existing text, select that text first; otherwise, the change applies from that point forward.

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If Word’s menus or spell-checking still use the old language

  • Windows: Confirm the language appears under Office display language and is set as preferred. An entry only under authoring languages may not affect menus.
  • Mac or mobile: Check the operating system’s primary or preferred language, since Office derives its interface language from the device.
  • Word for the web: Check the language preference for the hosting service and, for a personal account, the Microsoft account profile.
  • Spell-checking: Set the document’s authoring or proofing language rather than the display language. Microsoft’s proofing-language instructions explain the available controls.

Exact labels and available languages can vary with the Word version, operating system, and installed language resources. Microsoft’s cross-platform instructions are in Change the language Office uses in its menus and proofing tools.

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