How to add and change display languages in Windows

Updated: 09/12/2023 by Computer Hope
Microsoft Windows logo.

The Microsoft Windows operating system allows users to change the display language from one language to another, including Spanish, French, German, and Arabic. Some restrictions may apply, depending on the version of Windows. Follow the steps below for your version of Windows to change the display language settings.

Windows 11

  1. Press the Windows key, type Language settings, and press Enter.
  2. In the window, click the Add a language button under the Language section.

Section where you may add a language to Edge.

  1. Type a language to add or select from the list.

Add a language window in Windows.

  1. After you select a language, click the Next button.
  2. In the Install language features window, select or deselect any optional language features you want to install.
  3. You should now see the new language under the Languages section.

Select additional language features to install in Windows 11.

  1. Click the Install button to install the new language. The installation process may take several minutes to complete.
  2. After the new language is installed, select it from the Windows display language drop-down menu.
  3. Use the Sign Out button to sign out and then sign back into Windows, with the new language now set as the default language.

Select Windows display language and sign out button.

Windows 10

  1. Press the Windows key, type Language settings, and press Enter.
  2. In the window, on the right side, scroll down to the Preferred languages section, click the Icon to add a feature in Microsoft Edge. icon next to Add a language.

Section where you may add a language to Windows 10.

  1. Type a language and select a region from the list.

Adding a new language window to Windows.

  1. Choose the features you want to include, and click the Install button.

Choosing the features that come with a language in Windows 10.

  1. You should now see the new language under the Preferred languages section.

Microsoft Windows Language window with Spanish (Mexico) language selected.

Tip

To set the new language as the default for Windows, click-and-drag it to the top of the list.

Windows 8

  1. Open the Control Panel.
  2. Under the Clock, Language, and Region section, click the Add a language link.
  3. Under Change your language preferences, click the Add a language option.
  4. Select the language you want to add and click the Add button.
Note

Some languages have sub-options or different dialects you must choose. If the Add button changes to "Open," you must select a sub-option for that language.

  1. The selected language is added to the language list. To make the added language the primary language, click the language in the list and click Move up until it's at the top.

The language pack you added may need to be downloaded and installed in Windows 8 before you can use it. Next to the language name, if it says "Windows display language: Available for download," follow the steps below.

  1. Click the Options link to the right of the language name.
  2. Click the Download and install language pack link under the Windows display language section.
  3. After the download and install process is completed, restart the computer for the new display language to take effect.

Windows 7 and Vista

Note

Changing the language in Windows 7 requires you to have the Ultimate edition or Enterprise edition. Home and Professional editions do not have the language option.

In Windows 7, you first need to download and install the language pack you want to use. Then you can select and change the display language.

Download and install the language pack

  1. Open the Start menu and navigate to All Programs > Windows Update.
  2. Click the Optional Updates option.
  3. Check the box for the language pack you want to download and install, then click OK.
  4. Run the Install Updates process to download and install the language pack.

Change display language

  1. Open the Control Panel.
  2. Click the Clock, Language, and Region option.
  3. Click the Change the display language link.
  4. In the Choose a display language drop-down list, select the language you want to use as the display language and click OK.
  5. Restart the computer for the new display language to take effect.