How to add language in windows 10

Manage the input and display language settings in Windows

To manage all aspects of the input and display language settings on your Windows 11 PC, use the following methods.

To switch the keyboard layout you’re using, press and hold the Windows key and then repeatedly press the Spacebar to cycle through all your installed keyboards. (If this doesn’t do anything, it means you have only one installed.)

You can also select the language abbreviation in your taskbar then choose the language or input method you want to use.

Note: In the input field, press the Windows logo key + period (.) to access the Emoji & more keyboard, if your language supports it.

If you can’t find the keyboard layout you want, you may have to add a new keyboard.

Adding an input language lets you set a language-preference order for websites and apps, as well as change your keyboard language.

Select the Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region.

Select the language that has the keyboard you want, then select Options.

Select Add a keyboard and choose the keyboard you want to add. If you don’t see the keyboard you want, you may have to add a new language to get additional options. If this is the case, go on to step 4.

Return to the Language settings page, go to Preferred languages, then select Add a language.

Choose the language you want to use from the list, then select Next.

Review any language features you want to set up or install, and select Install.

The display language you select changes the default language used by Windows features like Settings and File Explorer.

Select Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region.

Choose a language from the Windows display language menu.

If a language is listed under Preferred languages but doesn’t appear on the Windows display language list, you’ll first need to install its language pack (if it’s available).

Select Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region.

In Preferred languages, select Add a language, enter the language you want, then select Next.

Select Download from the Download language pack option.

After the language pack is installed, select Back.

Choose a language from the Windows display language menu.

If you receive an «Only one language pack allowed» or «Your Windows license supports only one display language» message, you have a single language edition of Windows 10. Here’s how to check your Windows 10 language edition:

Select Start > Settings > About, and then go to the Windows specification section.

If you see Windows 11 Home Single Language next to Edition, you have a single language edition of Window 11, and you can’t add a new language unless you purchase an upgrade to either Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro.

Select Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region.

Under Preferred languages, select the language you want to remove, and then select Remove.

To remove an individual keyboard, select the language (see step 2), select Options, scroll down to the Keyboards section, select the keyboard you want to remove, and select Remove.

To manage all aspects of the input and display language settings on your Windows 10 device, use the following methods.

To switch the keyboard layout you’re using in Windows 10, press and hold the Windows key and then repeatedly press the Spacebar to cycle through all your installed keyboards. (If this doesn’t do anything, it means you have only one installed.)

You can also select the language abbreviation on the far right of the taskbar and then choose the language or input method you want to use.

Note: In the input field, press Windows +period (.) to access the emoji keyboard, if your language supports this.

If you can’t find the keyboard layout you want, you may have to add a new keyboard.

Adding an input language lets you set a language-preference order for websites and apps, as well as change your keyboard language.

Select the Start button, then select Settings > Time & Language > Language.

Under Preferred languages, select the language that contains the keyboard you want, and then select Options.

Select Add a keyboard and choose the keyboard you want to add. If you don’t see the keyboard you want, you may have to add a new language to get additional options. If this is the case, go on to step 4.

Return to the Language settings page, and select Add a language.

Choose the language you want to use from the list, and then select Next.

Review any language features you want to set up or install, and select Install.

Some languages require additional language features

For some languages to work properly, you need an admin on your PC to install the language features. Here’s a list of the languages that are affected:

Microsoft IME – Primary keyboard of Japanese

Microsoft Pinyin – Primary keyboard of Chinese (Simplified, China), Primary keyboard of Chinese (Simplified, Singapore)

Microsoft Wubi – Secondary keyboard of Chinese (Simplified, China), Secondary keyboard of Chinese (Simplified, Singapore)

Microsoft Bopomofo – Primary keyboard of Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan), Secondary keyboard of Chinese (Traditional, Hong Kong SAR), Secondary keyboard of Chinese (Traditional, Macao SAR)

Microsoft ChangJie – Secondary keyboard of Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan), Secondary keyboard of Chinese (Traditional, Hong Kong SAR), Secondary keyboard of Chinese (Traditional, Macao SAR)

Microsoft Quick – Secondary keyboard of Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan), Primary keyboard of Chinese (Traditional, Hong Kong SAR), Primary keyboard of Chinese (Traditional, Macao SAR)

Bangla Phonetic – Secondary keyboard of Bengali (India)

Gujarati Phonetic – Secondary keyboard of Gujarati

Hindi Phonetic – Secondary keyboard of Hindi

Kannada Phonetic – Secondary keyboard of Kannada

Malayalam Phonetic – Secondary keyboard of Malayalam

Marathi Phonetic – Secondary keyboard of Marathi

Odia Phonetic – Secondary keyboard of Odia

Punjabi Phonetic – Secondary keyboard of Punjabi (Gurmukhi)

Tamil Phonetic – Secondary keyboard of Tamil (India)

Telugu Phonetic – Secondary keyboard of Telugu

The display language you select changes the default language used by Windows features like Settings and File Explorer.

Select the Start button, then select Settings > Time & Language > Language.

Choose a language from the Windows display language menu.

If a language is listed under Preferred languages but doesn’t appear on the Windows display language list, you’ll first need to install its language pack (if it’s available).

Select the Start button, then select Settings > Time & Language > Language.

Choose a language from the Add a language list under Preferred languages, and then select Options.

Select Download from the Download language pack option.

Choose a language from the Windows display language menu.

If you receive an «Only one language pack allowed» or «Your Windows license supports only one display language» message, you have a single language edition of Windows 10. Here’s how to check your Windows 10 language edition:

Select the Start button, select Settings > About, and then scroll down to the Windows specification section.

If you see Windows 10 Home Single Language next to Edition, you have a single language edition of Window 10, and you can’t add a new language unless you purchase an upgrade to either Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro.

Select the Start button, then select Settings > Time & Language > Language.

Under Preferred languages, select the language you want to remove, and then click Remove.

To remove an individual keyboard, select the language in question (see step 2), select Options, scroll down to the Keyboards section, select the keyboard you want to remove, and click Remove.

How to Change Windows 10 Display Language Without Reinstalling the Operating System?

Read this article to find out how to change the language of Windows 10 interface without having to reinstall it, what system languages can be installed and what settings should be modified for that purpose.

Introduction

In Windows 10, people usually choose the preferred language for the entire operating system when they install it. However, if the language settings were wrong, or people have to use computing devices with certain language preferences, there are some settings to be modified in order to bring them in line with your personal likings.

So if you ever need to change language preferences in Windows 10, this can be done in a quick and easy way with the help of the Settings app and without having to reinstall the operating system.

In today’s article, we will show you how to change the default display language into any other, including doing it for new and existing user accounts.

How to change the default display language in Windows 10?

If you have to move to a different region or you need to use a display language different from the default choice, or the initial language settings for the computing device have been wrong, there is absolutely no point in reinstalling Windows 10. All you need is to modify a couple of system settings to enjoy the experience of using your operating system in the right language.

Disable language synchronization

If you are using a Microsoft account, the language settings will apply to all devices linked to such account. If you plan to change regional and language settings for one computer only, you need to disable synchronization of such settings before you proceed.

This is how you disable language sync in Windows 10.

Open the main system application, Settings. You can do it in any way you prefer. For example, click on the Start button in the lower left corner of your desktop, on the Taskbar, and open the main Windows menu. Use the scroll bar or the mouse wheel to search the list of all programs and applications installed on this computer and find the line Settings, or click on the Settings button in the left side of the user menu, and the application will open.

In the main Settings window, scroll down if necessary and choose the tab Accounts.

In the left panel, go to Sync your settings.

In the right panel, find the section Individual sync settings and the line Language preferences, then set the slider to the Off position (disabled).

When these steps are taken, you can start changing language settings for the copy of Windows 10 installed on this computer, without worrying that this can affect similar settings in other linked devices.

The steps to take if you want to change the display language

To change the display language of your Windows 10, you should close all running applications and do what is described below.

Use any method you prefer to open the Settings application. For example, right-click on the Start button that you can find on the Taskbar, in the left lower corner of the desktop, or press the key sequence Windows + X instead to open the context menu, and select the line Settings. The application will start immediately.

Use the scroll bar or the mouse wheel to navigate the Settings window, and find the tab Time and language.

In the left panel, go to Language.

Now look to the right and find the section Preferred languages, where you can prioritize language settings, and click on the button Add a preferred language, with a + (plus) symbol on it.

In the new window Choose a language to install use the scroll bar or the mouse wheel to find the language you need, or start typing its name in the search field above.

Choose the language pack you are planning to use in Windows 10 from the list.

When the language is chosen, hit Next.

In the next page Install language features check the box for Install language pack to confirm your choice (the box with the tick will become blue, i.e. active).

Click Install below.

Changes will take effect after the language package is installed, which usually takes several minutes only. In some cases, restarting your Windows 10 may be required, and then the corresponding language settings will apply to all system elements. The changes will affect the sign-in screen, the Settings app, Windows Explorer, desktop, all applications, preferred browsers and websites you visit. From now on, they will use the new language by default. Besides, Windows 10 may suggest reviewing your current privacy settings.

Changing region settings

If you change the display language for Windows 10 because you move to a different region, then regional settings should be modified too.

Changing them in Windows 10 is easy enough: just follow the steps below.

Open the main system application, Settings, using any way you prefer. For example, press the keyboard shortcut Windows + I to access the app directly.

In the main window of the Settings app, find and select the tab Time and language.

In the left panel, select Region.

In the right panel, find the section Region and use the nested menu Country or region to specify your new location if it differs from the current settings.

In the section Regional format use another nested menu to select proper formats to display date and time in Windows, if these differ for your time and region.

Now look at the left panel and jump to the tab Language again.

Use the scroll bar or the mouse wheel to find the section Related settings and click on the link Administrative language settings.

In the new pop-up Region window, jump to the tab Administrative and in the section Welcome screen and new user accounts hit the button Copy settings.

The new window will show you corresponding screen and account settings. In the section Copy your current settings to check the boxes for each option: Welcome screen and system accounts and New user accounts.

Click ОК one more time, and then restart the computer.

After all these steps, your computer will display proper regional settings specified according to your physical location.

Most of the time, people don’t change or install additional languages regularly for their personal needs. This opportunity to change language packs quickly is more often required in small or large companies that need to deal with customers having various language preferences.

Besides, this option would be useful for people who have to move to a different region and would like their regional settings to comply. Another scenario is buying a computer from another country when the required configuration is not available locally.

Also, you should remember that modifying language settings may disable some functions like Cortana because this service is not supported in certain regions.

Conclusion

Preferred display language is one of the easily customizable things in the operating system. If you ever need to change the language settings, use one of the methods described here to replace the language pack currently used by Windows 10 without having to reinstall it.

See the full article with all additional video tutorials. If you still have any questions, please ask in a comments. Also visit our Youtube channel, there are over 400 video tutorials.

Language packs for Windows

Use the Add a language feature to install another language for Windows 11 to view menus, dialog boxes, and supported apps and websites in that language. To do this:

Select Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region.

Go to Preferred languages, select Add a language.

In Choose a language to install, enter and select the name of the language that you want to install, then select Next.

In Install language features, select the features that you want to use, then select Install.

To use Microsoft Office in your preferred language, download an Office language pack.

You can download and install any of the following languages in Windows 11.

Base language required

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

Malay (Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

Serbian (Cyrillic, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

English (United States)

Serbian (Cyrillic, Serbia)

Tamil (India and Sri Lanka)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

Simplified Chinese (China)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

May I redistribute the Language Pack?

If you represent a government or government agency, a government-affiliated or government-sponsored cultural or language board or institution, or an accredited educational institution, you may redistribute the Pack to validly licensed users of the Software, in the same form as received from Microsoft.

Use the Add a language feature to download and install another language for Windows 10 so you can view menus, dialog boxes, and supported apps and websites in that language.

Note: You need to be an admin on your PC to add a language pack.

Here’s how to do this:

Select the Start button, and then select Settings > Time & Language > Language.

Under Preferred languages, select Add a language.

Under Choose a language to install, select or type the name of the language that you want to download and install, and then select Next.

Under Install language features, select the features that you want to use in the language that you selected to download, and then select Install.

To use Microsoft Office in your preferred language, download an Office language pack.

You can download and install any of the following languages in Windows 10.

Base language required

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

Central Kurdish (Arabic)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

Malay (Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

Serbian (Cyrillic, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

English (United States)

Serbian (Cyrillic, Serbia)

Sesotho sa Leboa

Sesotho sa Leboa

English (United States)

Setswana (South Africa and Botswana)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

Tamil (India and Sri Lanka)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

Simplified Chinese (China)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

English (United States)

May I redistribute the Language Pack?

If you represent a government or government agency, a government-affiliated or government-sponsored cultural or language board or institution, or an accredited educational institution, you may redistribute the Pack to validly licensed users of the Software, in the same form as received from Microsoft.

The easiest way to get language packs for Windows 8.1 and Windows RT is to download and install them using the Language Control Panel.

Download and install additional languages to view menus, dialog boxes, and other user interface items in your preferred language.

If you want to share or redistribute a language pack, you’ll need to download it from the Download Center instead. Some language packs are sharable and some are not. Use the download links in the table below to download the language packs that can be shared.

To use Microsoft Office in your preferred language, you can download an Office language pack.

Base language required

English (United States) or
English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States), English (United Kingdom), or Russian

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States), English (United Kingdom), or Russian

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

Spanish, English (United States), English (United Kingdom), or French

Russian, English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States), Croatian, English (United Kingdom), or Serbian (Latin)

Spanish, English (United States), English (United
Kingdom), or French

Central Kurdish (Arabic)

English (United States), Arabic, or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

Spanish, English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States), English (United Kingdom), or Russian

English (United
States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States), English (United Kingdom), or French

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States), English (United Kingdom), or Russian

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

Spanish, English (United States), or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

Russian, English (United States), or English (United Kingdom)

French, English (United States), English (United Kingdom), or German

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

Malay (Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States), English (United Kingdom), or Russian

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

Norwegian (Bokmal), English (United States), or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

Spanish, English (United States), or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

Serbian (Cyrillic, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

English (United States), Croatian, English (United Kingdom) or Serbian (Latin)

Serbian (Cyrillic, Serbia)

Serbian (Latin), English (United States), or English (United Kingdom)

Sesotho sa Leboa

Sesotho sa Leboa

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

Setswana (South Africa and Botswana)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

Russian, English (United States), or English (United Kingdom)

Tamil (India and Sri Lanka)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

Russian, English (United States), or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

Russian, English (United States), or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

Chinese (Simplified), English (United States), or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States), English (United Kingdom), or Russian

Spanish, English (United States), or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

French, English (United States), or English (United Kingdom)

English (United States) or English (United Kingdom)

Support for Windows 7 ended on January 14, 2020

We recommend you move to a Windows 11 PC to continue to receive security updates from Microsoft.

Download and install additional languages to view menus, dialog boxes, and other user interface items in your preferred language.

In Windows 7, you can download languages in two ways:

Using Windows Update. If you’re running an Ultimate or Enterprise edition of Windows, you can download available language packs by using Windows Updates. Language packs installed using Windows Update provide a fully translated version of Windows dialog boxes, menu items, and help content. All the languages available for this type of download have «Windows Update» listed in the right column of the table below.

Using the links on this page. You can download Language Interface Packs (LIPs) from the Microsoft Download Center by using the links below. You can install LIPs over any edition of Windows, but they provide a translated version of only the most widely used dialog boxes, menu items, and help content. To install a LIP, you will need to have the required parent language installed on your PC.

The table below shows if the language you’re looking for requires a premium edition of Windows or a particular parent language.

Windows 10: Change or Add Another Language

If you ever want to change the display language of Windows 10 or want to add additional languages to use in documents, the steps in this tutorial will help you.

First Method: Using the Settings app

1. Click the Windows logo to open the Start menu, and select Settings from the there.

2. In the pop-up Settings window, select the Time & language option.

3. Select the Region & language option on the left side.

4. On the right side, you will see several options. Find Languages, and click Add a language.

5. Scroll through the list of available languages, and select the one you need. Once selected, the language will be added to the system automatically.

6. When you come back to the language list, select the newly added language, and set it as the system’s default language if you want. For languages that come with a “Language pack available” option, you will need to download the pack first. To do so, click the Options button.

7. At the top of the Language options page, click Download to proceed. In this section, you also have an option to add a special keyboard designed for that language (if available). The QWERTY keyboard is added by default for you.

Second Method: Using the Control Panel

If you prefer the traditional way to add a language as in Windows 7 and Windows 8, here are the steps for you.

1. In Windows 10, the quickest way to visit the Language settings of the Control Panel is to type Language in the search box on the taskbar.

2. Similar to the steps above, click Add a language.

3. Use the search box at the top right to find the language you want, select it, and click Add.

4. If you want to display all system text in the new language, you will need to download the language pack in Options. If you only want to use the keyboard input, this step is not necessary.

5. Finally, click Download and install language pack. The system will display all text in the new language when you boot the system.

When not creating exciting new Android games, Lê Hoàng is here crafting tutorials, tweaks, and fixes for your enjoyment.

Check or change language settings

Microsoft’s products and services work best if you use the same language and region across all your devices, and in all of your app and Store settings.

Pages are in the wrong language

If you’re seeing content on our website in the wrong language, check these settings:

The display language you select changes the default language used by Windows features like Settings and File Explorer.

Open Microsoft Edge settings to change the browser’s display and editor language.

Select then Settings

Tip: Learn how to change the display language in Chrome or Firefox.

Sign in to your Microsoft account to change the display language.

Sign in to your Outlook.com account to change the display language.

Sign in to your OneDrive account then select Settings to change the display language for OneDrive.

Caution: If you change your country or region in Microsoft Store, items you bought in one region might not work in another. It’s best to change your region only if you’re moving to a new country or region for an extended period. Learn more.

Go to Microsoft Store online. At the very bottom of any page, select the World icon to choose your language and region.

Microsoft.com is available in a variety of countries/regions. Choose your language preference.

Cortana works best if you use the same language for Speech and your device.

Sign out and then sign back in for the new settings to take effect.