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To change the language of Windows 11 menus, Settings, and File Explorer, change the Windows display language: go to Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region, choose a language under Windows display language, then sign out and back in. If the language is not listed, install its language pack first. This setting is different from the keyboard layout, regional formats, and language preferences used by apps and websites.
Before you change the display language
- Save open work. Signing out closes your current session and may close applications.
- Connect to the internet if you need to download a language pack or optional language features.
- Check the keyboard layout at sign-in after changing languages. Windows may select a different layout, which can make a password appear to be incorrect.
- If Windows says only one language pack is allowed, check whether your edition is Windows 11 Home Single Language.
Microsoft’s instructions for managing language and keyboard settings in Windows cover these related settings. The steps below use the current Windows 11 Settings path.
Change the display language if it is already installed
- Open Start > Settings.
- Select Time & language > Language & region.
- Under Windows display language, open the drop-down and select the language you want.
- Accept the sign-out prompt. Save your work first if you have not already.
- Sign back in. Windows applies the display-language change to the new session.
If the language is not in the drop-down, it may not be installed as a Windows language pack. Review the languages shown under Preferred languages on the same page, or follow the installation steps below.
Install a language pack
- Go to Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
- Next to Preferred languages, select Add a language.
- Search for the language or find it in the list, select it, then choose Next.
- On the Install language features screen, leave Language pack selected. Select any optional features you need, such as speech recognition, text-to-speech, or handwriting, if they are offered.
- To use this language for the Windows interface right away, select Set as my Windows display language.
- Select Install and wait for the download and installation to finish.
- When prompted, sign out and then sign back in.
Feature availability varies by language: some languages do not offer every speech, handwriting, or text-to-speech option. Microsoft explains the language-pack process and features in its Windows language packs overview.
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Check that the change worked
After signing back in, open Settings or File Explorer and check whether the interface is using the selected language. Some Windows components may remain in another language because not every language is fully localized. Third-party apps may have their own language setting, and Microsoft Office uses a separate language process; changing Windows’ display language does not guarantee those apps will change too.
If the keyboard changes or your password seems wrong
A display-language change may also change or add a keyboard layout. A keyboard layout controls which characters physical keys produce; it does not translate Windows menus. At the sign-in screen:
- Check the input-language indicator and select the keyboard layout you expect.
- If the password field has a reveal control, use it to verify the characters you are entering.
- Try signing in again with the expected layout selected.
Once signed in, you can review layouts at Settings > Time & language > Language & region. Select the … menu beside a language, choose Language options, then use the controls under Keyboards to add or remove layouts. The input-language indicator on the taskbar can also be used to switch layouts; Windows key + Spacebar cycles through installed layouts. Switching keyboards changes what you type, not the language of Windows’ interface.
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If you want to type in another language but keep Windows menus as they are, do not change Windows display language. Instead, go to Settings > Time & language > Language & region, select the … menu beside a language, then choose Language options > Add a keyboard. Choose the layout you need. A keyboard layout does not always need to match the display language.
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Set a language for Store apps and websites
The order under Preferred languages influences the language used by supported Microsoft Store apps and websites. To change that preference without changing Windows’ interface, open Settings > Time & language > Language & region and move the desired language to the top of Preferred languages, while leaving Windows display language unchanged. Apps and sites may still use another language if they do not support your preferred one.
Set regional formats separately
Language and region are related but separate. To adjust date and time formats, number conventions, currency, or other regional choices, review the Region settings on the Language & region page. Changing the Windows display language does not necessarily change those formats to match it.
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The language is missing from the display-language list
Install the language through Add a language and confirm that Language pack is selected. Wait for installation to finish, then revisit the display-language drop-down. If it still is not available, check your Windows edition and whether the language is supported for your configuration.
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Check Settings > System > About, then look under Windows specifications for Edition. Windows 11 Home Single Language supports only one display language. Microsoft’s edition guidance identifies upgrading to Windows 11 Home or Pro as the supported way to install additional display languages on that edition.
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If you have Home Single Language, your supported choices are to keep the current display language, upgrade the edition if appropriate, or reinstall Windows in an edition and installation language suited to your needs. Back up your files and confirm activation requirements before reinstalling. An extra keyboard layout may still meet your needs if you only want to type in another language. Avoid unofficial language-pack downloads or registry workarounds.
The interface is only partly translated
First sign out and back in if you have not done so. If the change is still partial, the language may not be fully localized, the component may retain another language, or the app may have its own language setting. Office language settings are separate; see Microsoft’s guidance on Windows and Office input-language settings.
No sign-out prompt appeared
Save your work, right-click Start, select Shut down or sign out > Sign out, then sign back in. The display-language change may not apply to the session already open.
Optional speech or handwriting features are missing
Not every language offers every optional feature. If a feature is not listed on that language’s options screen, its absence does not necessarily mean the language-pack installation failed.
This is a work or school PC
An organization may manage which language packs users can install or which settings they can change. If an installation is blocked or the controls are unavailable, contact your administrator rather than trying to bypass the device’s policies.
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