The fastest way to change Word's language
Open Word and go to File > Options > Language. Under "Office authoring languages and proofing," you'll see a list of languages. Click the language you want, then click Set as Preferred. Close and reopen Word — the interface will now display in that language.
If you only want to change the language for a single document (so spell-check and grammar tools work in that language), select the text you want to change, go to Review > Language > Set Proofing Language, and pick the language. This doesn't change what the buttons and menus say — it just tells Word which dictionary to use when checking your work.
The method you choose depends on whether you want Word itself to look different, or just whether you want spell-check to stop flagging words in another language as mistakes.
Key Takeaways
- Changing the interface language requires going to File > Options > Language, selecting your language, and clicking Set as Preferred.
- You must close and reopen Word after changing the interface language for the change to take effect.
- To change only the spell-check language for one document or section, use Review > Language > Set Proofing Language instead.
- The language you set as preferred applies to all Microsoft Office programs, not just Word.
Changing the interface language versus the proofing language
Word has two separate language settings, and they do different things. The interface language is what you see — the words on buttons, in menus, in dialog boxes. The proofing language is the dictionary Word uses to check spelling and grammar.
If you change the interface language to Spanish, every menu and button will display in Spanish. If you change only the proofing language to Spanish, the menus stay in English, but Word will stop marking Spanish words as misspelled. Most people need to change the proofing language, not the interface language, unless they actually want to work in a different language.
How to set the proofing language for a single document
Select all the text in your document by pressing Ctrl+A (or Cmd+A on Mac). Then go to the Review tab and click Language. A dropdown menu will appear — click Set Proofing Language.
A dialog box will open showing available languages. Find and click the language you want, then click OK. Word will now use that language's dictionary for spell-check and grammar suggestions in this document only. Other documents you open will still use whatever language you set as your default.
If you only want to change the language for part of a document — say, a paragraph in French in the middle of an English document — select just that section before going to Review > Language > Set Proofing Language.
Changing the default language for all Office programs
When you set a preferred language in Word's Options, that language becomes the default for all Microsoft Office programs on your computer — Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and the rest. If you want different programs to use different languages, you'll need to change them individually.
Go to File > Options > Language in each program and set the language separately. The interface language will change for whichever program you're in, but the proofing language setting is shared across all Office programs unless you override it in a specific document.
What happens if your language isn't installed
If you select a language that isn't fully installed on your computer, Word may display some menus in that language but fall back to English for others. To use a language fully, you may need to install the language pack for your version of Windows or Mac.
On Windows 10 or 11, go to Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region and click Add a Language. Select the language you want and click Next. Windows will download and install the language pack. On Mac, go to System Preferences > Language & Region and click the + button to add a language.
After installing a language pack, restart your computer and Word will recognize it as fully available.
Switching back to English or your original language
Follow the same steps you used to change the language: File > Options > Language. Find English (or whatever your original language was) in the list, click it, and click Set as Preferred. Close and reopen Word.
If you only changed the proofing language for a document, select all text with Ctrl+A, go to Review > Language > Set Proofing Language, and pick English. This won't affect other documents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will changing the language in Word change it in my other Office programs?
Yes, if you change the interface language through File > Options > Language, it changes for all Office programs on your computer. If you only change the proofing language in one document, it affects only that document and doesn't touch other programs.
Can I have different languages in different parts of the same document?
Yes. Select the section you want to change, go to Review > Language > Set Proofing Language, and pick the language. Word will use different dictionaries for different sections, so spell-check will work correctly for each language.
What if Word doesn't show the language I need?
You may need to install the language pack for your operating system. On Windows, go to Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region and add the language. On Mac, go to System Preferences > Language & Region. After installation, restart your computer and the language should appear in Word's language list.
Do I need to change the language if I'm just writing in another language?
Not for writing — Word will let you type in any language regardless of the setting. But if you want spell-check to work correctly, you should set the proofing language to match. Otherwise Word will mark every word as misspelled.