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Changes to default language settings are not retained in Word

Article ID: 292106 - View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q292106

SYMPTOMS

When you set a language as the default input language in Microsoft Office Word, and you then restart Word, the changes are not retained.

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This behavior can occur when you have more than one input language configured on the computer.

When you have more than one input language configured, the language that is used when you start Word is based on the default input language that is selected in the Text Services dialog box.

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WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Remove All Additional Keyboard Layouts

This behavior does not occur when only one keyboard layout is present. To remove all additional keyboard layouts, follow these steps:

Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
In Control Panel, double-click Keyboard.
In the Keyboard Properties dialog box, click the Input Locales tab, and then click Change.
In the Select one of the installed input languages to use when you start your computer list, select the language that you want.
In the Installed Services list, click the Keyboard of the input language that you want to remove, and then click Remove.
Repeat step 5 for all languages except for the one that you selected in step 4, and then click OK two times.

Method 2: Install the Default Input Language

To specify the default input language that is used when Word starts, follow these steps:

Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
In Control Panel, double-click Keyboard.
In the Keyboard Properties dialog box, click the Input Locales tab, and then click Change.
On the Settings tab, click Add.
In the Add Input language dialog box, in the Input Language list, select the language that you want, and then click OK.
In the Select one of the installed input languages to use when you start your computer list, select the language that you want, and then click OK two times.

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MORE INFORMATION

The Text Services icon appears in Control Panel when Speech Recognition is installed during Microsoft Office XP Setup. If Speech Recognition is not installed, input languages are selected in the Keyboard Properties dialog box (in Control Panel, double-click Keyboard).

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