Excel: change language - how it works

In Microsoft Excel, you can change the language in German and English by default. For a different language, you must first download and install a Language Interface Pack. This practical tip shows you how to change the language in Excel.

Set the language in Microsoft Office Excel

1. Open Microsoft Excel and click on "File" in the top left corner.
2. In the context menu, switch to the "Options" tab. A new window will appear.
3. Click on "Language" on the right.
4. Under "Select display and help languages" you can set either "English" or "German" as the default language.
5. After restarting Excel, the new language is set.
6. If you want to use a different language, you must first download the appropriate language pack from the Microsoft support website. You can find this under the "Links to free downloads of user interface language packs" tab.
7. After downloading and installing the language pack, you can activate the language by repeating the above steps.

This tip refers to Excel from version 2010 onwards. We will show you how to divide cells in Excel in order to make a table clearer in the next practical tip.