Learning how to change the language settings in PowerPoint is an important skill for creating presentations accessible to global audiences. This comprehensive tutorial covers everything you need to know to configure language options in PowerPoint on Windows, Mac, and the web.
Why Change the Language in PowerPoint
There are several key reasons you may want to change the PowerPoint interface or proofing language:
- Present to international audiences – If you create presentations for audiences that speak different languages, you need to be able to easily switch the text language.
- Work across regions – When collaborating with team members located around the world, changing PowerPoint’s language can make sharing presentations easier.
- Use multilingual content – Presentations often contain text snippets in different languages. Setting multiple proofing languages ensures everything is spelled properly.
- Customize the interface – Change the PowerPoint interface language to one you’re more comfortable with if presenting on an unfamiliar computer.
PowerPoint Language Settings
PowerPoint has several language options you can customize:
- Display language – The language used for buttons, menus and dialog boxes in the PowerPoint interface.
- Help language – The language used in PowerPoint’s help documentation and tooltips.
- Authoring and proofing language – The dictionary language used to check spelling and grammar as you type text.
- Translation language – The language PowerPoint will translate selected text into.
You can configure each of these language options separately based on your needs.
How to Change Language in PowerPoint on Windows
Follow these steps to change language settings in PowerPoint on Windows:
- Open PowerPoint and select the File tab
- Choose Options then click Language
- Under Choose Editing Languages, select the proofing language
- Click Set as Default to prioritize the selected language
- For the interface language, choose options under Choose Display and Help Languages
- Click OK to save changes
- Restart PowerPoint for changes to take effect
If the language you need is not listed, click Add additional editing/display languages at the bottom. This will open the Microsoft Office website where you can download additional language packs to install.
Changing Language in PowerPoint on Mac
To change languages on PowerPoint for Mac:
- Select the PowerPoint menu then choose Preferences
- Click Language then select the language from the drop-down menus
- Check the boxes for Spelling, Thesaurus, and Hyphenation to enable
- Click OK to confirm changes
- Restart PowerPoint for new language settings to apply
If the language is not available, you will need to download the associated language pack from Microsoft and install it before the language will show up as an option in PowerPoint.
Modifying Languages in PowerPoint Online
In PowerPoint Online, editing languages are set at the Microsoft 365 admin center level and cannot be changed. However, you can translate text using the Translate feature:
- Select the text you want to translate
- Choose Review > Translate > Translate Selected Text from the menu
- Pick the translation language you want from the right pane
- Click Translate to convert text
Display languages in PowerPoint Online are controlled through your web browser settings rather than in the app itself.
Tips for Using Multiple Languages
- Check that text language matches the proofing language set or disable proofing when using multiple languages
- Use the Translate feature to quickly convert text snippets into other languages
- Verify formatting and fonts support all languages after changing proofing languages
- Set multiple editing languages and switch between them using the status bar
Learning how to modify PowerPoint’s language and proofing settings empowers you to create globally accessible presentations. Configure options to best suit your needs whether presenting locally or to international audiences.
