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Excel Text-to-Speech Not Reading French (Reads Only English)

Jayesh Gandhi 0 Reputation points
2026-02-24T16:44:29.1733333+00:00

Dear Microsoft Support Team,

I have activated the Text-to-Speech feature in Excel; however, Excel continues to read text only in English, even when the content is written in French.

I have already completed the following steps:

Installed and selected French language in Windows 11 language settings

Set French as the preferred language for Office

Installed French speech pack

Verified that French is working correctly in other Microsoft applications (Outlook reads French properly)

Despite all necessary changes and troubleshooting steps (as suggested by Microsoft documentation and other support resources), Excel still reads French text in English pronunciation.

Since Outlook is able to read French correctly on the same system, this appears to be an Excel-specific issue.

Could you please assist in resolving this problem or advise if there is any additional configuration required specifically for Excel?

Thank you for your support.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | Other | Windows
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  1. Q&A Assist
    2026-02-24T16:45:10.5633333+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    It appears that you have already taken several important steps to configure Excel for Text-to-Speech in French, including installing the French language pack and setting it as the preferred language in Office. Since the issue persists specifically in Excel while other applications like Outlook are functioning correctly, here are a few additional suggestions you might consider:

    1. Check Excel Language Settings: Ensure that the language settings within Excel itself are set to French. Sometimes, the application may have its own language settings that override the system settings.
    2. Update Office: Make sure that your Office installation is fully updated. Sometimes, bugs in older versions can cause issues with language features.
    3. Reinstall the French Speech Pack: If the speech pack was installed correctly but is still not functioning, try uninstalling and then reinstalling it to ensure that it is properly integrated with Excel.
    4. Check for Add-ins: Sometimes, third-party add-ins can interfere with the functionality of Office applications. Try disabling any add-ins to see if that resolves the issue.
    5. Repair Office Installation: You can also try repairing your Office installation through the Control Panel, which can fix any corrupted files that may be causing the issue.

    If none of these steps resolve the issue, it may be beneficial to reach out to Microsoft Support directly for further assistance, as they can provide more tailored support for your specific configuration and issue.

    References:

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