'Set proofing language' has a mind of its own

The proofing language setting works very much like formatting. Among other things, it can be copied from one document to another by pasting text.

The settings in any current documents and/or templates will NOT be changed by changing any settings for Word. They have to be changed for each document. Changes made to the normal template will apply to any new documents based on that template.

In some ways you situation is like a virus in that the Spanish language settings will apply  to existing text and if you copy that text into a new document, it can spread. Note, it is not a computer virus, that is a simile.

I or someone else can write a macro you can use to set the language in existing documents and templates. However I would need to know which version of English you would be using. (UK, USA, CAN, AU, etc.)

Charles, thank you so much for your very prompt reply. It seems odd that to get my computer to do what i want it to, i have to get someone like you, who knows what they are doing, to add code!

Did Microsoft put all those apparent language settings and controls in the software just to pretend that it was user friendly? Because it ain't!

However, just in case you have proposed the only answer, my English is UK (thank goodness we can still use that term after Thursday's excellent result), and i would greatly appreciate a Macro and some help with what to do with it!

And by the way, my browser IE in Windows 8.1 seems to be spell-checking this reply in Spanish!

Keith Mason

If you work predominantly in English you need to setup the English Input language in Windows regional settings and set the default language as English. Set the keyboard to reflect the pattern of the keyboard you are using. New documents will take their cue from that. You can then switch between installed Input languages as required. The example below shows my own regional settings:

Graham, thanks very much for taking the trouble to try to help. Your screenshot suggests a different versión of Windows, mine is 8.1 and this screen isn't one i recognise, but i have the same content in amother place, and my language and keyboard are set as you show (keyboard Spanish not Greek!

In control panel 'language`i have English as default and i have actually deleted Spanish there.

In File options Proofing, Dictionaries Custom Dis¡ctionaries i have English set as default and the dictionary language set as English, but still when i open a new doc in Word, it assumes Spanish, so none of my 'Autocorrect options work, and here in a new doc if i select some English text, go to 'review' language set proffing language it comes up with Spanish highlighted, and when i change that to English and click set as default it asks me if i mean it, i click yes, and then it closes but immediaiteñy restes to Spanish.

In Outlook, it is even stranger. If i click 'New email' it opens up with English as the proofing language, but if i click to reply to a message written in English from an English language computer, it immmediately starts spell checking in Spainsh, and shows Spanish as the default proofing language.

As you may detect from my message, i am absolutely baffled, and not a little frustrated.

i do appreciate your help.

Keith Mason

Hi Keith,

Here is code for a simple AutoOpen macro that you would put in your normal.dotm file.

Sub AutoOpen()

'
' AutoOpen Macro
' Change Proofing language to English UK
'
    Selection.WholeStory
    Selection.LanguageID = wdEnglishUK
    Selection.Collapse
End Sub

You could also have:

Sub AutoNew()

 call AutoOpen

End Sub

Long-run, these are work-arounds. For instructions on using the macros, see Installing Macros.

Stefan, thanks for your reply. i have tried setting the display language to English, and to 'Use Language list'

but this makes no difference to the problem that whatever i do, anything based on Normal.dotm still opens with the proofing language set as Spanish.

i have as i said earlier changed this in the dialogue box to English, confirmed change to default, no difference at all. Still Spanish.

i really am baffled.

Keith Mason

Charles, thank you for your reply, and the link to the site of Graham Mayor who kindly offered his help earlier in this thread.

Unfortunately, as a complete VBA novice, i found the 'macro for idiots' too testing for me!

No matter what i do, i cannot get the VBA editor to let me have more than one macro. If i record your AutoOpen snippet, it does not seem to have any effect, if i then try to add a new macro with your AutoNew snippet, the first one disappears in favor of the second, but still has no effect..

i have gone through the WordHelp info on macros, but this doesn't give me any clues. i fear either i am missing an instruction to take some action, or else the Graham Mayor article assumes a knowledge that i do not have.

Having spent the morning struggling with this, i am now going to sit in the sun and hope my blood pressure returns to normal!

Thanks to everyone who is trying to help.

Keith Mason

Charles, thank you for your reply, and the link to the site of Graham Mayor who kindly offered his help earlier in this thread.

Unfortunately, as a complete VBA novice, i found the 'macro for idiots' too testing for me!

No matter what i do, i cannot get the VBA editor to let me have more than one macro. If i record your AutoOpen snippet, it does not seem to have any effect, if i then try to add a new macro with your AutoNew snippet, the first one disappears in favor of the second, but still has no effect..

i have gone through the WordHelp info on macros, but this doesn't give me any clues. i fear either i am missing an instruction to take some action, or else the Graham Mayor article assumes a knowledge that i do not have.

Having spent the morning struggling with this, i am now going to sit in the sun and hope my blood pressure returns to normal!

Thanks to everyone who is trying to help.

Keith Mason

Hello Keith,

These macros are not recorded, but written.

Once you have the vba editor open and are in a module (probably the NewMacros module) you can paste the macros. So long as each has a different name (i.e. AutoOpen an AutoNew) they can coexist quite happily. Note that AutoOpen and AutoNew, when in the normal template, act on all documents opened and on all blank documents created. The AutoOpen macro will only run when you open a document. Once you have these documents saved in your normal template, try closing and restarting Word.