Easily Change Display Language Preferences in Windows

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Plus, we answer FAQs about changing the Windows 11 & 10 language

Written by Stan Kats | Edited by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: August 21, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Windows 11
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• Windows 10
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• FAQ
|
• Video

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In Windows, there are plenty of settings you can adjust to easily make changes to your computer. While there are no "quick" settings for changing the display language in Windows, it's still very easy to do. In this article, we'll cover how to change your display language in Windows 11 and Windows 10. We also cover some frequently asked questions about the topic.

Changing Display Language Easily in Windows

In Windows 11 and Windows 10, changing your display language can only be done via the Settings app, but it's pretty quick and easy. In Windows 11, go to Time & language > Language & region. In Windows 10, go to Time & language > Language.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Windows 11

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1. 
   1
   Open your Windows settings app. There are a few ways you can do this, but the easiest is to press ⊞ Win+i.

   • The easiest way to change your Windows display language is in the Settings app. There are no quick settings to switch languages, but switching the language in Settings is very fast and easy.
   • If your computer isn't in a language you can understand, our steps outline where the options are and what the option icons look like, so you can locate them even without being able to read them.
2. 
   2
   Click Time & language in the left-hand sidebar. It has an icon of a planet and a clock.
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3. 
   3
   Click Language & region. It's the second option on the list, and it has an icon of a clock, the letter "A," and a Japanese character.
4. 
   4
   Click Add a language. It's next to the "Preferred languages" header. If you already have the language you want to use installed, skip ahead to step 8 below.

   • If the language you want to change to is already installed but you're missing the language pack, click the three-dot icon next to the language name, then click Langauge options. You can install the language pack in this menu.
5. 
   5
   Choose a new language from the list. Use the search bar at the top of the menu to find the language you want, or scroll until you locate it. To proceed, click the language, then select Next.
6. 
   6
   Choose the language features you want to install. For the best experience, leave all of these options checked. To ensure the language can be used as your display language, keep "Language pack" selected.

   • If you want to set this language as your display language, check the box next to "Set as my Windows display language." However, the remaining steps in this section explain how to manually set your display language.
   • If you choose to set your display language when installing a new language pack, you'll need to sign out and back in to your account for the changes to take effect.
7. 
   7
   Click Install. It may take some time for the language pack to finish installing, depending on how many choices you selected.
8. 
   8
   Choose the new language in "Windows display language." Next to the "Windows display language" header, you'll see a dropdown. Click this dropdown and select the language you want to be your display language. Only languages you have installed will be shown here.
9. 
   9
   Sign out of your account. For the changes to take effect, you'll need to log out and back in. Click the Sign out button at the top of the screen, or manually sign yourself out using the Power Options menu in the Start menu.

   • Make sure to save any open documents, or you'll lose your changes.
10. 
    10
    Sign back in to Windows. You'll see that your system language will be changed to the language you chose in the Settings app.
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Section 2 of 3:

Windows 10

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1. 
   1
   Open your Windows settings app. There are a few ways you can do this, but the easiest is to press ⊞ Win+i.

   • The easiest way to change your Windows display language is in the Settings app. There are no quick settings to switch languages, but switching the language in Settings is very fast and easy.
   • If your computer isn't in a language you can understand, our steps outline where the options are and what the option icons look like, so you can locate them even without being able to read them.
2. 
   2
   Click Time & language. It's on the right-hand side of the screen and has an icon with a clock, the letter "A," and a Japanese character.
3. 
   3
   Click Language in the left-hand sidebar. It has an icon of an "A" and a Japanese character.
4. 
   4
   Click + under the "Preferred languages" header. It's next to the "Add a language" label. If you already have the language you want to use installed, skip ahead to step 8 below.

   • If the language you want to change to is already installed but you're missing the language pack, click the three-dot icon next to the language name, then click Language options. You can install the language pack in this menu.
5. 
   5
   Choose a new language from the list. Use the search bar at the top of the menu to find the language you want, or scroll until you locate it. To proceed, click the language, then select Next.
6. 
   6
   Choose the language features you want to install. For the best experience, leave all of these options checked. To ensure the language can be used as your display language, keep "Language pack" selected.

   • If you want to set this language as your display language, check the box next to "Set as my Windows display language." However, the remaining steps in this section explain how to manually set your display language.
   • If you choose to set your display language when installing a new language pack, you'll need to sign out and back in to your account for the changes to take effect.
7. 
   7
   Click Install. It may take some time for the language pack to finish installing, depending on how many choices you selected.
8. 
   8
   Choose the new language under "Windows display language." Click the dropdown to expand all of your installed languages, then choose the language you want to switch to.
9. 
   9
   Sign out of your account. For the changes to take effect, you'll need to log out and back in. Click the Sign out button at the top of the screen, or manually sign yourself out using the Power Options menu in the Start menu.

   • Make sure to save any open documents, or you'll lose your changes.
10. 
    10
    Sign back in to Windows. You'll see that your system language will be changed to the language you chose in the Settings app.
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Section 3 of 3:

FAQ

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1. 1
   Why does Windows display the wrong language after switching it? This is a known bug. First try resolving this by using the Registry Editor to change the default system UI language value or by running a DISM command (e.g., `DISM /Online /Set-DefaultUILanguage:en-US`) in an elevated Command Prompt. If this does not work, reinstall Windows and choose a different language during setup.
2. 2
   How do I keep Windows from syncing my language choices across all devices? You can disable language syncing in Windows backup. Here's how to do it in Windows 11 (Windows 10 will be similar, but the menu locations may not be in the same spot):

   • Open your Windows settings.
   • Click Accounts in the left-hand sidebar.
   • Click Windows backup.
   • Expand Remember my preferences.
   • Uncheck Language preferences and dictionary.
3. 3
   Why won't Windows let me change my display language? You likely have a single-language license. The only way to change your language is to do a clean reinstall of Windows.
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