Adding a new language for authoring and proofing in Microsoft Office allows you to write and check spelling, grammar, and style in that language. Here's how to do it:


Step 1: Open an Office Application


You can start with any Office app like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

  1. Open Microsoft Word (or any other Office app).
  2. Click on File in the top-left corner.
  3. Select Options at the bottom of the left-hand menu.


Step 2: Access Language Settings

  1. In the Word Options window (or Excel/PowerPoint Options), click on Language in the left-hand pane.
  2. You will see three categories: 
    • Office display language
    • Office authoring languages and proofing
    • Preferred languages


Step 3: Add a New Authoring Language

  1. Under Office authoring languages and proofing, click Add a Language.
  2. A list of available languages will appear. Scroll or search for the language you want to add.
  3. Select the language and click Add.


Step 4: Install Proofing Tools (if needed)

  • If the language you added doesn’t have proofing tools installed, Office will prompt you to download them.
  • Click Not installed next to the language, and follow the link to download the proofing tools from Microsoft’s site.
  • After installation, restart your Office apps.


Step 5: Set as Default (Optional)

  • If you want the new language to be your default for authoring: 
    1. Select the language in the list.
    2. Click Set as Preferred.


Step 6: Start Using the Language

  • Now you can start typing in the new language.
  • Office will automatically use the correct proofing tools for spelling and grammar checks.


Tips

  • You can switch between languages easily by changing the proofing language in the Review tab → Language → Set Proofing Language.
  • If you're using Office on Mac or the web, the steps are slightly different. Please see below:


Mac (Office 365 / Office 2021)

  1. Open Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.
  2. Go to Tools → Language.
  3. Select the language you want to use for proofing.
  4. Click OK.
  5. If the language isn’t installed, Office will prompt you to download the necessary proofing tools.
  6. Restart the app after installation.

On Mac, the authoring language is set per document. You can change it anytime via Tools → Language.


If you have an issue, please contact IT through the normal process by accessing our Systems & IT Support portal (save this as a favourite), or Email Systems & IT Support (support@manoloblahnik.freshdesk.com) which can be found in the Global Address List in Outlook.