Office Installation Errors

Fix Missing Portuguese Proofing Tools in Microsoft Office 2016

Maira Mehtab Oct 23, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user needs to restore or install missing Portuguese spell-checking and grammar tools in Microsoft Word 2016.

How to Fix Missing Portuguese Proofing Tools in Office 2016

Product: Microsoft Office 2016
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to spell-check or write a document in Portuguese using Microsoft Word 2016.
Observed behavior: Portuguese spell-checking and grammar tools are missing or unavailable, even if Portuguese is selected as an Office language.

Before you start

Check whether your installed version of Microsoft Office 2016 is 32-bit or 64-bit, as installing a mismatched language pack will cause the proofing tools to fail. Save your current work and close all Office applications before installing new language packs.

Solution 1Recommended

Install the Correct Language Accessory Pack and Configure Word

Download the official Language Accessory Pack for Office 2016 matching your system architecture and set it as the default proofing language in Word.

Microsoft requires a specific Language Accessory Pack for proofing tools if they were not included in your original installation. Mixing 32-bit and 64-bit installations is a common cause for these tools failing to appear or function correctly.

Download the Language Accessory Pack

Visit the official Microsoft Support page for Office Language Accessory Packs. Locate the Portuguese download link for Office 2016 and select either the 32-bit or 64-bit version that matches your current Office installation.

Install the Package

Run the downloaded executable file and follow the on-screen installation prompts to integrate the Portuguese language files into your Office 2016 suite.

Open Word Language Options

Launch Microsoft Word, click on 'File' in the top-left corner, select 'Options', and then click on 'Language' in the left-hand sidebar.

Add and Set as Default

Under the 'Office authoring languages and proofing' section, ensure Portuguese is added. Select it and click 'Set as Preferred' or 'Set as Default'.

Restart Microsoft Word

Close Microsoft Word completely and reopen it for the new proofing tool settings to take effect.

Install the Correct Language Accessory Pack and Configure Word

Restart All Office Apps: Make sure to restart all Microsoft Office applications (including Excel and PowerPoint), not just Word, to ensure the newly installed language pack is applied across the entire suite.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office for Built-in Multi-Language Spell Checking

If you are struggling with complex language pack installations in Microsoft Office 2016, WPS Office offers a free, lightweight alternative with highly compatible and easy-to-use multi-language spell checking right out of the box.

1. Install WPS Office: Download and install WPS Office Free from the official website.
2. Open Your Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing Word document.
3. Set Proofing Language: Go to the Review tab, click Spell Check, and easily select Portuguese as your proofing language.

Seamless format compatibility with Microsoft Word (.docx) documentsBuilt-in spell check support for multiple languages without complex accessory pack installationsLightweight installation that doesn't consume excessive system resourcesFamiliar user interface makes switching completely effortless

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my Portuguese spell checker not working even after installing the language pack?

This usually happens if you accidentally installed a 32-bit language pack on a 64-bit Office installation (or vice versa). You must uninstall the mismatched language pack from your Windows Settings and download the version that exactly matches your Office bitness.

How do I check if my Office 2016 installation is 32-bit or 64-bit?

Open Microsoft Word, click on File, select Account, and click the 'About Word' button. The top line of the resulting window will explicitly display whether your installation is 32-bit or 64-bit.

Can I set Portuguese as the proofing language for just one specific document?

Yes. Highlight the text in your document, go to the Review tab, click Language, select 'Set Proofing Language', choose Portuguese from the list, and uncheck 'Detect language automatically'.

Installation & Activation