Microsoft 365 has separate settings for menu language, writing and proofing language, and your keyboard layout. In Word, Excel or PowerPoint on Windows, start with File > Options > Language. Changing a proofing language does not automatically translate menus or rewrite an existing document.
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Choose the setting you actually need
| What you want to change | Setting to check |
|---|---|
| The words in menus and buttons | Office display language. |
| Spelling and grammar checks | Authoring and proofing language. |
| The characters typed by physical keys | Windows or macOS keyboard/input layout. |
| The words already in a document | Editing or translation, not just a language preference. |
For example, you can keep menus in English while writing and checking Hindi. If a Korean-language interface is the problem, changing only the document’s proofing language will not solve it.
Change Office display language on Windows
- Open Word, Excel or PowerPoint and choose File > Options > Language.
- Under Office display language, add the language if it is missing.
- Install the offered language support when required.
- Choose the language and set it as preferred.
- Save your work, close the Office apps and reopen them to check the result.
Microsoft’s menu and proofing language guide explains the separate settings. A managed work or school installation may need its administrator to make a language pack available.
Change writing and proofing language
On the same Windows Language page, review Office authoring languages and proofing. Add the language you write in and check whether its proofing tools are installed. Microsoft also provides a language-pack list; availability and display coverage vary by language.
In a Word document, you can also select the relevant text and use Review > Language > Set Proofing Language. Different sections of a document may have different language settings. Do not assume that changing a default corrects every existing paragraph.
Mac and web versions use different controls
On a Mac, follow the Mac section of Microsoft’s guide for display and proofing preferences rather than looking for the Windows File > Options menu. The app’s interface language follows the supported Mac language settings; proofing controls are separate.
For browser-based Microsoft 365, the account or organization’s language preferences can affect the interface. Microsoft documents business-account display language separately. A desktop language-pack installation does not automatically change every web service.
If the keyboard still types the wrong characters
Check the operating system’s input-language indicator and selected keyboard layout. Our accidental-keyboard-change guide covers that problem. If the number pad stops producing digits, use our number-pad checks. Reinstalling the entire Office suite is rarely the first useful step for either issue.