Office Settings & Configuration

Fix PowerPoint Font Previews Appearing in Arabic

Huma Ashraf Ch Oct 1, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user is seeing Arabic characters in PowerPoint's font dropdown preview despite having the Office interface language set to English.

Why Do PowerPoint Font Previews Appear in Arabic?

Product: Microsoft PowerPoint
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: Selecting a font from the dropdown menu in PowerPoint when formatting text.
Observed behavior: The font list displays the font name in English on the left, but the actual font preview on the right shows Arabic characters.

Before you start

Before removing any language components, confirm whether you actively use Arabic for typing, proofing, or checking spelling in other Microsoft Office applications.

Solution 1Recommended

Remove the Arabic Language Pack

This is the most effective solution if you do not actively need the Arabic language features in Office, as it stops PowerPoint from defaulting to complex-script previews.

This behavior is actually normal in PowerPoint. When an additional language pack for a complex-script language like Arabic is installed, PowerPoint previews the complex-script characters supported by the font. Uninstalling the language component resolves this.

Open Windows Settings

Click the Start menu and select 'Settings'. Navigate to 'Apps' and then click on 'Installed apps'.

Locate the Language Pack

Use the search bar to look for 'Office'. Locate the Arabic language pack or installer component in the application list.

Uninstall the Component

Click the three dots next to the Arabic language pack and select 'Uninstall'. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the removal.

Restart Microsoft Office

Close PowerPoint and any other open Office applications, then relaunch PowerPoint to verify that the font previews have returned to English.

System Fonts are Safe: Uninstalling the Office language pack will not delete the actual fonts from your Windows system.

Solution 2

Reinstall the English Language Accessory Pack

Use this method if the issue persists after removing the Arabic language pack or if the English display language files have become corrupted.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the font name stay in English while the preview is in Arabic?

PowerPoint separates these elements by design. The left side of the dropdown shows the English font name, while the right side demonstrates the complex-script characters the font supports when an additional language pack is active.

Will removing the Arabic language pack delete the Arabic fonts from my PC?

No, uninstalling the Microsoft Office language pack only removes the Office-specific interface and proofing tools. Your system fonts remain untouched and available in Windows.

What if I need the Arabic language pack but want English font previews?

Unfortunately, this is the default behavior in PowerPoint when a complex-script language is installed. There is no built-in toggle to disable the complex-script preview independently without removing the language pack entirely.

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