How to Change the Language in Outlook (Every Version, 2026)
Outlook’s display language controls the menus, buttons, folder names, and date formats you see throughout the app. It’s a separate setting from your spell-check (proofing) language, so you can read the interface in one language and write emails in another.
This guide covers every current version: Outlook on the web, the new Outlook for Windows and Mac, and classic Outlook for Windows. The web and new desktop apps share the same settings; classic Outlook handles language through Office options.
1. Change the Language in Outlook on the Web / New Outlook
Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows and Mac use the same browser-style settings panel.
- Click the Settings gear icon (top right)
- Go to General → Language and time
- Open the Language dropdown and choose your language
- Set your Date format (e.g., MM/DD/YYYY) and Time format (12- or 24-hour)
- Confirm your Time zone is correct
- Click Save
The interface reloads in the new language right away. If you’re using new Outlook for Windows and the menus don’t update immediately, close and reopen the app.
Note: In Outlook on the web, the display language also follows the language set in your overall Microsoft 365 account if you’ve never changed it here. Setting it inside Outlook overrides the account-wide default for the mail app only.
2. Change the Language in Classic Outlook for Windows
Classic Outlook inherits its language from the Microsoft Office language settings, so you change it through Office options rather than inside Outlook’s mail settings.
- Go to File → Options
- Select Language in the left pane
- Under Office display language, select the language you want
- Click Set as Preferred
- Under Office authoring languages and proofing, add or reorder languages you write in, then Set as Preferred for the main one
- Click OK
- Restart Outlook (and any other Office apps) for the change to take effect
If the language you want isn’t listed, click Install additional display languages from Office.com (or Add a Language) to download the language accessory pack from Microsoft, then return to this screen and set it as preferred.
3. Change the Spell-Check (Proofing) Language
Your proofing language determines which dictionary Outlook uses to underline misspelled words. It’s independent of the display language — useful if your menus are in English but you’re writing in French.
Classic Outlook for Windows:
- Open a new email or reply
- In the message window, go to the Review tab → Language → Set Proofing Language
- Select the language for this message, or check Detect language automatically
- Click Set As Default if you want it to apply to all future messages
- Click OK
Outlook on the web / New Outlook:
- Composing language follows your browser and the Language setting in General → Language and time
- To check spelling in another language, change your browser’s spell-check language, or rely on Outlook’s built-in Editor, which detects the language as you type
- In new Outlook for Windows, proofing language follows the Office authoring language when one is installed
4. Set Your Region, Date, and Time Format
Region settings control how dates, times, and numbers appear — separate from which language the words are in.
Outlook on the web / New Outlook:
- Go to Settings → General → Language and time
- Choose your Date format (e.g., DD/MM/YYYY vs. MM/DD/YYYY)
- Choose your Time format (12-hour with AM/PM or 24-hour)
- Set your Time zone
- Click Save
Classic Outlook for Windows: Date and time formats follow your Windows Region settings. Go to Windows Settings → Time & language → Language & region, set your Regional format, then restart Outlook.
Quick Reference
| Setting | Web / New Outlook | Classic Outlook for Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Display language | Settings → General → Language and time | File → Options → Language |
| Date / time format | Settings → General → Language and time | Windows Region settings |
| Spell-check language | Browser / Editor auto-detect | Review → Language → Set Proofing Language |
| Add a new language pack | Follows Microsoft 365 account | Add a Language → install accessory pack |
Troubleshooting
The language didn’t change after I saved it.
In new Outlook for Windows, fully close and reopen the app — the menus only refresh on restart. On the web, hard-refresh the browser tab (Ctrl+Shift+R) to clear the cached interface.
My display language is right but emails still spell-check in the wrong language.
Display and proofing languages are separate. In classic Outlook, set the proofing language under Review → Language; on the web, the Editor auto-detects per message, so check that the wrong language isn’t installed as your only authoring language.
The language I want isn’t in the dropdown.
On the web, available languages are tied to your Microsoft 365 plan. In classic Outlook, click Add a Language under File → Options → Language and install the free language accessory pack from Office.com, then set it as preferred.
Dates show in the wrong format even after changing the language.
Date format is a region setting, not a language one. Update Date format under Language and time on the web, or your Regional format in Windows for classic Outlook.
Changing the language in Outlook changed it in Word and Excel too.
In classic Outlook, the display language is shared across all Office apps. There’s no way to set one language for Outlook only in the desktop suite — use Outlook on the web if you need a mail-specific language.
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More on Outlook: How to share your Outlook calendar · How to set your working hours · How to set the default font in Outlook · How to color-code your Outlook calendar · How to create a distribution list in Outlook · How to create a calendar event in Outlook
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