How to Translate SharePoint Site Navigation into French
Question details
The user wants to display their SharePoint site navigation labels in French.
- Product
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Configuring a SharePoint site to support French-speaking users and adapting the navigation menus accordingly.
- Observed behavior
- Adding French as a site language does not automatically translate existing navigation items or pages; translation must be managed manually based on user regional settings.
Ensure you have Site Owner or Site Administrator permissions to enable multilingual site features and edit navigation settings.
Enable Multilingual Settings and Manually Translate Navigation Labels
Turn on the multilingual feature for your site so you can manually input French translations for your navigation links.
SharePoint does not offer automatic translation for structural elements like navigation labels. Instead, you must enable the multiple languages feature and manually provide the French text. Once set up, SharePoint will display the French labels to users who have their personal Microsoft 365 profile language set to French.
Click the gear icon to open Settings, then select 'Site information' and click 'View all site settings'. Under Site Administration, click 'Language settings'. Toggle 'Enable pages and news to be translated into multiple languages' to On, and add French from the dropdown menu.
Return to your SharePoint homepage and click 'Edit' next to your site's navigation menu (either on the top or left side, depending on your layout).
For each navigation link, click the ellipsis (...) next to the item and select 'Translations'. A panel will appear where you can type the French translation for that specific label. Click 'Save' when finished.
Update User Display Language Settings
Users must update their personal profile settings to French to trigger SharePoint to display the translated navigation labels.
Edit SharePoint Documents Easily with WPS Office
While SharePoint handles site navigation and file hosting, editing the actual documents stored on your SharePoint site requires a reliable office suite. WPS Office is a free, lightweight alternative to Microsoft Office that allows you to read, edit, and collaborate on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files with ease.
- 1. Download and Install WPS Office: Get WPS Office for free from the official website and install it on your computer or mobile device.
- 2. Access SharePoint Files: Download your document from your SharePoint site or sync your SharePoint document library to your local drive using OneDrive.
- 3. Edit and Save: Open the synced or downloaded file in WPS Office, make your edits with full formatting support, and save it. The changes will sync back to SharePoint automatically if connected via OneDrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my SharePoint navigation still in English after adding French as a site language?
Adding French as a site language only enables the site to support French translations; it does not automatically translate content. You must manually add French text to your navigation labels, and you must have your personal Microsoft 365 profile language set to French to see the changes.
Do I need to recreate all pages to translate a SharePoint site?
Yes, SharePoint requires you to create separate language-specific versions of each page. Once the multilingual feature is enabled, you can create a French copy of an existing English page and manually translate its content.
Can I force all users to see the French navigation on my SharePoint site?
SharePoint navigation display is tied to individual user profile settings. To see French navigation, users must have their preferred language set to French. There is no built-in way to force a single navigation language for everyone if multilingual settings are active.
