The ‘Set as Default’ option is really telling Word to make the font changes apply more broadly than the current text selection, either to the document as a whole or all documents based on that template. To make additional font changes there are Text Effects and Advanced settings.
For changes to Text Effects click on “Text Effects” button. In the Format Text Effects window that pops open select required effects from the available options. You will return back to the Font window.Changing the Language Settings in Microsoft Word After making the changes click on Close button. The automatic spellchecker in Microsoft Word is far from perfect, but it can be useful for spotting mistakes in your written work.
#HOW DO I CHANGE MY WORD DEFAULT SETTINGS HOW TO#įirst, though, you’ll need to know how to change the language settings. This is vital because even regional variations of English can differ in spelling, which means the automatic spellchecker will miss mistakes if the wrong settings are used. Luckily, changing the language in Microsoft Word is a quick and simple process. The first is to use the “Review” tab on the main ribbon: There are two main ways to set the language of a new document in Microsoft Word. Go to the “Review” tab and find the “Language” section.Click on “Language” and select “Set Proofing Language…”.Choose the language required in your document from the new window and click “OK”.The second option is possibly even simpler:
Click on the language section of the blue bar at the bottom of your document (this will display the current language settings by default).In the new window, select your chosen language and click “OK”Įither approach will ensure the spellchecker looks for spellings specific to your region.
For American English, the correct option is “English (United States).” If you click “Set as Default,” the same settings will be applied to all new documents. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter! If you’re applying new language settings to an existing document rather than starting from scratch, you’ll need to select the text you want to modify first. You can do this by selecting the passages you want to check and using the steps outlined above to pick a new proofing language. If the default is WordPad, click it, then select Word from the drop-down list.
This also allows you to use different language settings in different parts of the same document, if required.Īlternatively, you can quickly select all of the text in a document using “Ctrl + A” (or “Cmd + A” on Mac computers), then apply a new language as described above. #HOW DO I CHANGE MY WORD DEFAULT SETTINGS MAC# If you don't have an active Microsoft 365 subscription, you'll see a prompt to open the store. If there's no default listed, click Choose a default and select Word from the list. The last thing you need is sneaky British spellings in your footnotes! Comments, Headers and Footnotesįor reasons beyond the comprehension of mortal minds, Microsoft treats the language options for comments, headers and footnotes as separate from the main text in your document. You can do this either by selecting the relevant text and using the process described above, or by following these steps: If you’re using any of these features, you’ll need to check that the language settings are consistent with the rest of your document.
Go to “Styles” and right click the style you want to update (e.g., “Header”).#HOW DO I CHANGE MY WORD DEFAULT SETTINGS UPDATE# Pick the language required and click “OK”.In this menu, click “Format” in the bottom left and select “Language”.In the dropdown menu, click “Modify…” to open a new window. This will ensure consistency between different parts of the document in question, which is especially important if your paper includes extensive footnotes. #HOW DO I CHANGE MY WORD DEFAULT SETTINGS MAC#.#HOW DO I CHANGE MY WORD DEFAULT SETTINGS UPDATE#.#HOW DO I CHANGE MY WORD DEFAULT SETTINGS HOW TO#.