Formatting Issues

How to Fix Wrong Language in Word Mail Merge Dates

WPS Editor Sep 27, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to correct the language of date fields generated during a Word mail merge process.

How to Fix the Wrong Language in Word Mail Merge Dates

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Performing a mail merge with date fields where the output language does not match the intended regional language.
Observed behavior: Mail merge dates appear in an incorrect language, such as displaying Indonesian month names instead of English ones.

Before you start

Ensure your Excel data source is saved and closed before modifying the mail merge fields in Word to prevent file locking issues.

Solution 1Recommended

Change the Language Settings for the Merge Field in Word

Manually updating the language setting of the merged date field directly within Word ensures the final output reflects the correct regional language.

Word relies on the document's language settings to format fields like dates. If the field is assigned the wrong proofing language, the month names will translate incorrectly.

Select the Merge Field

Open your Word document and highlight the inserted date merge field.

Enable Language on Status Bar

Look at the Word status bar at the bottom of the window. If the language is not displayed, right-click the status bar and select 'Language' to make it visible.

Set the Field Language

Click on the current language displayed on the status bar and change it to English (United States) or your preferred regional language, then click OK.

Update the Field

Right-click the date merge field again and select 'Update Field' to apply the correct language formatting.

Language Applied: Once updated, the month names will automatically translate to the language you selected.

Solution 2

Verify and Fix the Excel Source Data

Sometimes the issue stems from how the date is formatted or stored as plain text in the original Excel file.

Easily Manage Mail Merges with WPS Office

WPS Office Writer offers a highly intuitive Mail Merge feature that seamlessly integrates with WPS Spreadsheet data, allowing you to easily manage language settings and properly format dates.

1. Prepare Data: Open WPS Spreadsheet and ensure your date column is formatted properly using standard date formats.
2. Start Mail Merge: Open your template in WPS Writer, navigate to the 'References' tab, and click on 'Mail Merge'.
3. Connect Data Source: Click 'Open Data Source' and select your prepared spreadsheet file containing the dates.
4. Format Field Language: Insert the Date field into your document, highlight it, and use the status bar language tool to set it to your desired language before clicking 'View Merged Data'.

Flawless compatibility with Microsoft Word (.docx) and Excel (.xlsx) formats.Built-in regional and language settings to accurately format date and time merge fields.Lightweight, fast, and completely free to use.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my Word mail merge dates keep reverting to the wrong language?

This usually happens when the keyboard layout or default system language overrides the document language upon updating. Ensure your Windows OS regional settings match your desired Word language, and uncheck 'Detect language automatically' in Word's language settings.

Can I force a specific language format using field codes?

Yes. Press Alt+F9 to view your field codes. You can add a date picture switch to format the output. For example, change { MERGEFIELD Date } to { MERGEFIELD Date \@ "dd MMMM yyyy" }. Ensure the language applied to the field code text itself is set to English.

How do I fix date formats changing from UK to US format in a mail merge?

To prevent day and month inversion, you can lock the date format by explicitly setting the date picture switch in the Word field code (e.g., adding \@ "dd/MM/yyyy" to the merge field), or by opening the Excel data source via DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) in Word.

Document & File Issues