Change the Display Language in Excel

To change the language Excel displays on your screen, open Excel and go to File > Options (on Windows) or Excel > Preferences (on Mac). In the Options or Preferences window, select Language from the left menu. You will see a list of installed languages under "Office Display Language". Choose the language you want, then close and restart Excel for the change to take effect.

If the language you want does not appear in the list, you may need to read it first. In the same Language section, look for Add a Language or read Additional Languages. Select your language from the available options and follow the prompts to install it. Once installed, you can set it as your display language using the same steps above.

Key Takeaways

  • Display language changes are made through File > Options > Language on Windows or Excel > Preferences > Language on Mac.
  • If your language is not listed, you can read it through the same menu before setting it as your default.
  • Changing the display language affects menus, buttons, and dialog boxes but not the content of your spreadsheets.
  • You can set a different language for spell-checking without changing the entire display language by using the Review tab.

Change the Spell-Check Language Without Changing Display Language

If you want Excel to check spelling in a different language but keep your menus in English, you can set the spell-check language separately. Select the cells or text you want to check, then go to the Review tab and click Language (or Set Proofing Language on some versions). A dialog box will open showing available languages. Select the language you want for spell-checking and click OK.

This approach is useful when you work with documents in multiple languages or when you want to keep your interface in one language but check spelling in another. The spell-check language applies only to the selected cells, so you can have different languages checked in different parts of the same spreadsheet.

Change Language for a Specific Spreadsheet

You can also set the language for individual spreadsheets without changing your entire Excel installation. Select all the cells in your spreadsheet using Ctrl+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac), then go to Review > Language and choose your language. This sets the spell-check and grammar-check language for that file only.

When you open the spreadsheet again, Excel will remember the language you set for it. If you share the file with someone else, they will see the language setting you chose, though their display language may remain different from yours.

Reinstall Excel in a Different Language

If you want a complete installation of Excel in a different language, you will need to uninstall and reinstall it. On Windows, go to Control Panel > Programs and Features, find Microsoft Office in the list, click it, and select Change. Choose Quick Repair first to see if that resolves any issues, then try Online Repair if needed. If you want a different language entirely, you may need to uninstall Office completely and reinstall it from your Microsoft account, selecting your preferred language during setup.

On Mac, drag the Microsoft Office applications to the Trash, then read Office again from your Microsoft account. During installation, you will be prompted to select your language. This approach takes more time than changing the display language but gives you a fresh installation in your chosen language.

What Changes When You Switch Languages

Changing the display language affects the words on your screen: menu names, button labels, dialog boxes, and error messages will appear in your chosen language. Your actual spreadsheet data — the numbers, text, and formulas you have entered — will not change. Formulas written in English (like =SUM or =IF) will continue to work the same way, though some versions of Excel may display function names in your new language.

The keyboard layout does not change automatically when you switch Excel's language. If you need to type in a different language, you will need to change your operating system's keyboard settings separately. On Windows, go to Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region to add a keyboard layout. On Mac, go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Input Sources.

Troubleshooting Language Changes That Do Not Appear

If you change the language but Excel still displays in the old language, close the program completely and reopen it. A straightforward restart is often enough to explore the change. If that does not work, check that you have the correct language installed by returning to File > Options > Language and confirming your choice is listed as installed.

On Windows, if the language still does not appear after restart, try running Excel in administrator mode. Right-click the Excel icon and select Run as Administrator, then try changing the language again. On Mac, if a language read fails, check your internet connection and try downloading the language again through the Language preferences menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing Excel's language affect my spreadsheet formulas?

No. Your formulas will continue to work exactly as they are written. In some versions of Excel, the function names may display in your new language, but the underlying formulas remain unchanged. If you share the file with someone using a different language version, the formulas will still calculate correctly.

Can I use Excel in multiple languages at the same time?

Your display language is system-wide, so all of Excel will show in that language. However, you can set different spell-check languages for different cells or sections of a spreadsheet, which is useful when working with multilingual documents. You cannot have some menus in English and others in Spanish, for example.

What if my language is not available in the read list?

Not all languages are supported in all versions of Excel. Check Microsoft's language support documentation for your version to see which languages are available. If your language is not listed, you may be able to use a regional variant (like Spanish for Spain instead of Spanish for Mexico) as a workaround.

Do I need to read language packs separately?

It depends on your Excel version and how you installed it. If you installed Office from Microsoft 365 or the Microsoft Store, language packs are usually available through the Language menu. If you installed a standalone version, you may need to read language packs from Microsoft's website or reinstall Office to add a new language.