Windows spell check only working in one language

Question

Windows spellcheck is only working in English, although I have the German language package installed to.

I tried everything recommended here, without succses.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/3848755/spellchecking-is-not-working-(windows-11)

Moderator note: moved from Microsoft System Center | Other

Answer 1

Welcome Daniel Germann,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.  

I understand how frustrating it can be when Windows spell check is only working in English even though the German language pack is installed, and that you have already tried the commonly recommended settings without success. 

Before we proceed, I need to narrow this down a bit: 

• Does the spell check issue occur system‑wide (for example in Notepad or Settings text fields), or only inside specific apps? 
• Is German selected as the active input language when you are typing, or does the issue happen even after switching input languages? 

Regarding your case, I can see that QA Assist has already provided some helpful troubleshooting steps. Besides, you could also look into the following options:  

Option 1: Reset advanced language feature installation 

• Go to Settings > Time and Language > Language and region 
• Select German > Language options 
• Remove only Handwriting, Speech, and Text‑to‑speech if present 
• Restart the device, then reinstall those features again 

Option 2: Verify per‑user language override 

• Go to Settings > Time and Language > Language and region 
• Under Windows display language, temporarily switch to German 
• Sign out of Windows, then sign back in 
• Switch the display language back if needed 

Option 3: Check legacy spell check behavior 

• Press Windows key + R > Type intl.cpl and press Enter 
• On the Administrative tab, select Change system locale 
• Confirm German is not selected unless you specifically require it, then restart 

Option 4: Test with a new local user profile 

• Create a new local user account 
• Sign in to that account and test German spell check 
• This helps determine whether the issue is profile‑specific 

I really hope that the information I gave above was helpful to you. Please feel free to reply below and let me know if you have further concern on this matter.    

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Answer 2

If your Windows spell check is only working in English despite having the German language package installed, there are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Check Language Settings: Ensure that German is set as the default language for spell checking. You can do this by going to Settings > Time & Language > Language and confirming that German is listed and set as the default.
2. Install Language Features: Make sure that all necessary language features for German are installed. This includes basic spell checking features. You can add these by navigating to Settings > Time & Language > Language, selecting German, and ensuring that the relevant features are included.
3. Restart Applications: Sometimes, changes in language settings require a restart of the applications you are using. Close and reopen any applications where you want to use spell check.
4. Update Windows: Ensure that your Windows installation is up to date, as updates can fix bugs related to language features.
5. Check Application Settings: If you are using a specific application (like Microsoft Word), check its proofing settings to ensure that the correct language is selected for spell checking.

If you have tried all these steps and the issue persists, you may want to consult further resources or support for more specific troubleshooting steps.

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References:

• Languages overview