Setting Proofing Language for Text in PowerPoint 365 for Windows

Do you have a presentation that contains text that needs to be spell-checked in more than one language? Or do you and your client or colleague work with different localized versions of Microsoft PowerPoint? It may be that you use English (US) and color is a perfectly valid spelling, but someone else in another part of the world uses English (UK) and their spell checker suggests that the word color be changed to colour. Or if they use the French version of PowerPoint, then both spellings of color/colour would be flagged as incorrect. They use the term couleur. You first need to have proofing tools installed for all or any of the languages that you need to work within PowerPoint.

Next, follow these steps to set proofing language of selected text in PowerPoint 365 for Windows:

1. Select the text container you want to alter the proofing language for, as shown in Figure 1, below.
2. 
   Figure 1: Text container selected

What's a Text Container?

A text container is any of these three slide objects that can include text: text placeholders, text boxes, and shapes.
2. Access the Review tab of the Ribbon, and click the Language button, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 2, below. Doing so brings up a small drop-down menu. Choose the Set Proofing Language option, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 2.
3. 
   Figure 2: Set proofing language
4. Alternatively, click the Language option on the Status Bar, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 1, previously on this page.

No Language Option on the Status Bar?

Cannot see the Language option on the Status Bar. See our Language Options on the Status Bar in PowerPoint 365 for Windows tutorial.
3. Either way, you bring up the Language dialog box, as shown in Figure 3, below.
4. 
   Figure 3: Language dialog in PowerPoint
4. Scroll down to select an installed Editing Language. Installed languages can be recognized by the check-mark icon preceding them, as shown in Figure 4, below. Choose the language you want to use for your selected text container. Thereafterm click the OK button, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 4.
5. 
   Figure 4: PowerPoint’s Language dialog box
6. There are more options within this dialog box, explained below:

Do not check spelling or grammar

7. You may want to select this check-box, as shown highlighted in purple within Figure 4, to disable checking of spelling or grammar for text containers. This is a significant setting if these text containers contain specialized words that PowerPoint may mark as misspelled with red squiggly lines, or with poor grammar, marked with blue squiggly lines.

Default

8. Clicking this button, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 4, brings up the message window, as shown in Figure 5, below. It asks you if you want to change the default language within PowerPoint for this and future presentations to the language you selected. You must have a compelling reason to make this change by clicking the Yes button, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 5. For most other scenarios, you will press the Cancel button, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 5, to make no changes.
9. 
   Figure 5: Change the default language
5. You will see that the Language option on the Status Bar has now changed, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 6, below. Compare with Figure 1, shown previously on this page.
6. 
   Figure 6: Language option changed on the Status Bar
6. Similarly, change the language for any other text containers within your presentations. Save your presentations often.

Now when you spell check your slides, the text in the containers will be proofed for the language set for proofing.