Office 365 (now generally branded Microsoft 365) lets you change the language used by its apps. On Windows, open Word, Excel, or PowerPoint and go to File > Options > Language. For the web, use Microsoft 365 settings or your account profile. Display language, proofing language, and keyboard input are separate; changing one does not automatically change the others.
The display-language list controls menus, buttons, dialog boxes, and other interface text. The authoring-language list below it controls writing and proofing, so adding a language there alone will not change the app menus.
Some language packs are only partially localized, so a few controls may remain in another language. If your organization manages Office, ask IT to install the pack if you cannot do it yourself.
Changing the interface language does not automatically change spelling and grammar checks. In desktop Office, open File > Options > Language. Under Office authoring languages and proofing, select the language and choose Set as Preferred. If it is missing, select Add a Language in that section.
Proofing installed means the tools are ready. If the status is Proofing available, select the link to install them. If proofing is unavailable, Office may not provide spelling and grammar tools for that language. See Microsoft's guide to Office authoring and proofing languages.
For a single Word document, open Review > Language > Set Proofing Language. Select existing text first—or press Ctrl+A for the whole document—to apply the setting to text already written. You can also enable automatic language detection for documents that mix languages.
Windows controls which keyboard layout Office uses when you type. On Windows 11, open Settings > Time & language > Language & region, select Add a language, choose the language, and follow the installation steps. On Windows 10, open Settings > Time & Language > Language.
If you only need another keyboard layout, open the three-dot menu beside an installed language, choose Language options, and select Add a keyboard. You do not need to change the Windows display language just to type accented characters or use another layout.
Switch layouts by pressing Windows key + Space and selecting the desired layout, or use the input-language indicator on the taskbar. French AZERTY, for example, places keys differently from US QWERTY, so the characters printed on your physical keyboard may not match what appears. Microsoft's Windows language and keyboard guide covers Windows 11 and Windows 10.
For a work or school account, sign in to Microsoft 365, select Settings (the gear icon), then choose Change your language. Under Display Language, select the pencil icon and choose your language. In some organizations, use Settings > Microsoft 365 settings > Settings > Language and time zone, then select the language and save.
Some web apps can take up to 24 hours to reflect a new work or school language. If the setting is missing, your organization may manage it centrally; contact your administrator. See Microsoft's Microsoft 365 for business language instructions.
For a personal Microsoft account, start with the language preferences in your Microsoft account profile. Office for the web can also follow the language set by the service hosting your files, such as OneDrive or SharePoint, so check that service's language settings if one site remains unchanged.
Office for Mac generally follows macOS's primary language. Open Apple menu > System Settings > General > Language & Region, move your preferred language to the top, then quit and reopen Office. Recent macOS versions also let you choose a language for an individual app in the Applications section of Language & Region. See Apple's Language & Region guide.
Choose the setting that matches the problem: display language changes Office menus, proofing language changes spelling tools, and the operating system's input source changes how keystrokes are entered.
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