Fixing Incorrect Microsoft Office ScreenTip Language: Step‑by‑Step Guide

Set Default Microsoft Office ScreenTip Language for All AppsScreenTips in Microsoft Office are the small pop-up tooltips that appear when you hover over buttons, commands, or features. They provide quick descriptions and keyboard shortcuts, and they appear in the language Office uses for its UI and help text. If you work in a multilingual environment or prefer a particular language for tooltips, setting a consistent ScreenTip language across all Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.) improves productivity and reduces confusion. This article explains how ScreenTip language works, how to set a default ScreenTip language for all Office apps, and how to troubleshoot common problems.

How ScreenTips and Office language settings relate

• ScreenTips are driven by Office’s language and proofing settings as well as the language pack installed.
• Office uses two main language categories that affect ScreenTips:
  • Display language — controls the user interface (ribbons, menus, dialog boxes).
  • Help & ScreenTip language — specifically controls tooltips and help text.
• Installing language packs or language accessory packs can add UI and ScreenTip translations for additional languages.
• Windows’ display language does not necessarily change Office ScreenTips; Office settings are authoritative.

What you need before you start

• A licensed copy of Microsoft Office (Microsoft 365 or Office ⁄₂₀₂₁).
• Administrative rights to install language accessory packs if the target language isn’t already installed.
• Internet access for downloading language packs.
• Optional: IT admin access if you plan to deploy changes across multiple users using Group Policy or Microsoft Endpoint Manager.

Step-by-step: Set default ScreenTip language for a single PC

1. Open any Office application (Word, Excel, or PowerPoint).
2. Go to File > Options.
3. Select Language. You’ll see three sections: Office display language, Office authoring languages and proofing, and Choose Editing Languages.
4. Under “Office display language,” set the language you want for the interface and ScreenTips. If the desired language is listed, select it and click “Set as Preferred.”
   • If the language is not listed, click “Install additional display languages from Office.com” or go to the Microsoft Language Accessory Pack page. Download and install the appropriate language pack for your Office version.
5. Under “Office authoring languages and proofing,” make sure your preferred authoring language is added and set as default if you want proofing tools (spell check, grammar) in the same language.
6. Restart all Office apps for changes to take effect. ScreenTips should now appear in the selected display language.

Notes:

• If you need ScreenTips in a language but keep the UI in another language, some Office versions allow separate settings for ScreenTip/Help language; check the Language dialog for a “Help language” or “Help & ScreenTip” option and set it accordingly.
• For Microsoft 365, language changes often apply more smoothly when signed into your Microsoft account that has language preferences aligned.

Deploying a default ScreenTip language for multiple users (IT/Admin)

For organizations, changing each machine manually is inefficient. Use one of these management options:

• Microsoft Endpoint Manager (Intune)
  • Create a device configuration profile that deploys Office installation settings or modifies registry keys controlling Office display language.
• Group Policy
  • Use Office Administrative Templates (ADMX) to set the UI language. Office ADMX includes policy settings for preferred UI languages and proofing languages.
• Office Deployment Tool (ODT)
  • When installing Office with ODT, include the desired language in the configuration.xml to install the language and set it as default.
• Scripted installs
  • Use PowerShell scripts to modify the Office language configuration files or the registry keys (with caution and testing).

Always test changes on a pilot group before broad rollout and ensure the language accessory pack is deployed or available in the image.

Checking which languages are installed

• In Office: File > Options > Language lists the installed display and proofing languages.
• In Windows: Settings > Time & Language > Language shows installed Windows languages (useful if aligning Windows and Office UI).
• For installed language packs, check Control Panel > Programs and Features or the Office installation details in Settings > Apps.

Troubleshooting common issues

• ScreenTips still show the old language after change:
  • Close and reopen all Office apps. Sign out and back into your Office account. Reboot the PC if needed.
• Desired language not available:
  • Download and install the Office Language Accessory Pack matching your Office build and version. For volume-licensed versions, use the Office Deployment Tool.
• Partial translations (some ScreenTips in one language, others in another):
  • This occurs when the UI language and Help/ScreenTip language differ, or when language packs are incomplete. Ensure both Display and Help languages are set and the accessory pack includes Help files.
• Group Policy settings override user changes:
  • Check with your IT administrator; machine-level policies may force a specific Office language.
• Language changes are lost after updates:
  • Ensure updates don’t reinstall default languages; include language settings in deployment images or scripts.

Tips & best practices

• Prefer installing language accessory packs centrally for consistent behavior.
• Align Office display language with authoring/proofing language when possible to minimize inconsistencies.
• For global teams, consider keeping UI in English but enable proofing tools for multiple languages — this reduces translation gaps in ScreenTips while supporting multilingual editing.
• Document the chosen language configuration and deployment steps for IT teams to reproduce during imaging or new device setups.

Summary

To set a default Microsoft Office ScreenTip language for all apps, configure the Office Display and Help/ScreenTip language in File > Options > Language, install the required language accessory pack if needed, and restart Office apps. For organization-wide changes, use Intune, Group Policy, the Office Deployment Tool, or scripted installs to deploy the language pack and set defaults consistently.