Change Display Language Preferences Easily Windows 11 & 10 (2026)

To change the display language in Windows 11, open Settings > Time & language > Language & region, choose a language in the Windows display language menu, and sign out when Windows asks. If the language is not listed yet, select Add a language, keep Language pack ticked, tick Set as my Windows display language and select Install; Windows 10 uses the same steps under Time & Language > Language.

Below are the full steps for both versions, plus regional formats, keyboard layouts, the sign-in screen, PowerShell commands, Office and Edge, removing language packs, and the fixes for Single Language editions and error 0x800f0954.

How to change the display language in Windows 11

You need an administrator account and an internet connection to add a language. Save your work first, because the switch finishes with a sign-out.

1. Select Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
2. If the language you want already appears under Preferred languages, pick it from the Windows display language drop-down and skip to step 6.
3. Otherwise select Add a language next to Preferred languages, type the language name, choose it and select Next.
4. In Install language features, keep Language pack selected and tick Set as my Windows display language.
5. Select Install and wait. Settings shows “Please wait while the language finishes installing” while the pack downloads.
6. When Settings says Windows needs to sign you out in order to apply your new display language, select Sign out, then sign back in.

If no Sign out button appears next to that message, right-click Start and choose Shut down or sign out > Sign out.

How to change the display language in Windows 10

Windows 10 names the page Language instead of Language & region, but the choices are the same. Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025; the language settings still work.

1. Select Start > Settings > Time & Language > Language.
2. For an installed language, choose it from the Windows display language drop-down.
3. For a new one, select Add a language under Preferred languages, pick it and select Next.
4. Keep Install language pack selected, tick Set as my Windows display language and select Install.
5. Choose Yes, sign out now when prompted, then sign back in.

Your situation	Use this	Why
Language not installed yet	Add a language with Set as my Windows display language ticked	Downloads the pack and switches in one pass
Language already under Preferred languages	Windows display language drop-down	No download, only a sign-out
Windows 10 and a language with no full pack	A Local Experience Pack from the Microsoft Store	Store-delivered packs that update themselves
Several PCs, or you prefer commands	Install-Language and Set-WinUILanguageOverride	Repeatable without clicking through Settings
Sign-in screen and new accounts keep the old language	Copy settings on the Region Administrative tab	Settings changes only your own account
Dates, numbers or currency look wrong	Regional format or Set-Culture	Formats are separate from the display language
“Your Windows license supports only one display language”	No setting changes it	Single Language editions cannot add languages

How to check installed languages in Windows 11

Two quick checks prevent a wasted download: the edition decides whether extra display languages are allowed, and the language page shows what is already on the PC.

1. Open Settings > System > About, or press Windows + R and run ms-settings:about.
2. Read the Edition line under Windows specifications. Single Language there means you can’t add a display language; see the Single Language section below.
3. Open Time & language > Language & region (Windows 10: Time & Language > Language).
4. Read the Language section: it lists every installed language and shows which one is the display language.

How to install a language pack in Windows 11

Adding a language puts it in Preferred languages. Language packs download over the internet, so stay connected and close open apps before you start. For a deeper look at the download itself, our walkthrough on installing a language pack in Windows covers offline and managed PCs.

1. Open Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
2. Select Add a language next to Preferred languages.
3. Type the name in Type a language name, or scroll the list, and pick the exact variant, such as English (United Kingdom) rather than English (United States).
4. Select Next to open Install language features.

Optional language features in Windows 11

The Install language features window decides what gets downloaded. Only the language pack is needed to change the display language; the rest are extras.

1. Keep Language pack selected under Optional language features. Without it the language can’t become the display language.
2. Tick speech recognition, text-to-speech or handwriting only if you need them.
3. Tick Set as my Windows display language under Language preferences to switch straight away.
4. Select Install. Progress shows next to the language in the list.
5. To add a feature later, select … next to the language, choose Language options and select Download beside the feature.

Some languages don’t offer every feature, and speech features may download only after the language becomes the display language.

Change display language preferences

Windows keeps two separate choices. The Windows display language menu sets the language of Windows itself, including Settings and File Explorer. The order of Preferred languages tells Microsoft Store apps and websites which language to use: the first supported entry wins.

1. Open Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
2. Choose a language in the Windows display language drop-down. Windows moves it to the top of Preferred languages for you.
3. To reorder by hand, drag a language up or down the list (Windows 10: select it and use the arrows).
4. Sign out and back in to apply the new display language.

Microsoft notes that some languages aren’t fully localized. With those, parts of Windows appear in the next fully localized language in your list.

How to install a Local Experience Pack from the Microsoft Store

Local Experience Packs (LXPs) are language packs delivered through the Microsoft Store. Microsoft says they install on Windows 10 version 1803 and later and get regular updates through the Store. After installation, both Windows and Store apps can use the new language.

1. Open the Microsoft Store and search for the language plus “Local Experience Pack”.
2. Select Get and wait for the install to finish.
3. Open Settings > Time & Language > Language.
4. Pick the new language in the Windows display language menu and sign out.

If the Store itself won’t open or download, resetting the Microsoft Store cache usually clears it.

Types of language packs

Seeing English in a few places after the switch is normal for some languages. It depends on which kind of pack your language uses.

Pack type	What it covers	What you may notice
Full language pack	The whole Windows interface	Almost everything switches
Language interface pack (LIP)	Part of the interface, on top of a base language	Untranslated text falls back to the base language, for example English, Spanish or Russian
Local Experience Pack (LXP)	Store-delivered translation of Windows and Store apps	Text can fall back briefly after a monthly update until the Store updates the pack
App’s own translations	Individual desktop apps	An app stays in English if it ships no translation for your language

How to change regional format for date, time and currency in Windows

The display language doesn’t always change how dates, times, numbers and currency look. Those come from Regional format, a separate setting on the same page.

1. Open Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
2. Under Region, set Country or region if you also want local Store content.
3. Pick a Regional format, or choose Recommended to follow your display language.
4. In PowerShell, Set-Culture -CultureInfo de-DE sets the same thing for your account.
5. Reopen apps such as Excel or Outlook so they pick up the new format.

How to change the keyboard language in Windows 11

Microsoft warns that changing the display language might also change the keyboard layout to match. The layout is separate: changing it never changes the display language, and you can pair any display language with any keyboard.

1. Open Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
2. Select … next to a language and choose Language options.
3. Under Keyboards, select Add a keyboard and pick your usual layout.
4. Remove a layout you don’t want with … > Remove beside it.
5. Press Windows + Spacebar, or select the input icon on the taskbar, to switch keyboard languages on the fly.

At the sign-in screen, the input icon shows the active layout. If your password is rejected after the switch, use the password reveal icon to check what you’re typing. To type in a second script without changing Windows, you can add another keyboard language on its own.

How to change language for welcome screen and new user accounts in Windows 11

The display language is set per account. The sign-in screen, system accounts and accounts created later keep the old language until you copy your settings to them.

1. Sign in with an administrator account that already uses the new language.
2. Open Control Panel > Clock and Region > Region.
3. Select the Administrative tab, then Copy settings….
4. Tick Welcome screen and system accounts and, if you want, New user accounts, then select OK.
5. Restart the PC.

On Windows 11 the same copy runs from an administrator PowerShell window: Copy-UserInternationalSettingsToSystem -WelcomeScreen $True -NewUser $True. Both routes copy display language, input language, regional format and location.

Change display language with PowerShell

Microsoft’s LanguagePackManagement module does the same job as Settings. Its cmdlets run on client Windows only, and Install-Language and Set-Language need PowerShell opened as administrator. Replace de-DE with your language tag, such as fr-FR or ja-JP.

1. Get-InstalledLanguage lists the languages and features already on the PC.
2. Install-Language de-DE downloads the pack and its features; add -CopyToSettings to also make it the system default after a restart.
3. Set-WinUILanguageOverride -Language de-DE makes it your display language.
4. Sign out and back in to apply the change.
5. Get-WinUILanguageOverride confirms the override; run Set-WinUILanguageOverride with no language to clear it.

Does changing display language change Office, Edge and Microsoft Store?

Edge follows Windows by default. Desktop Office keeps its own language list, so it may not follow. Google Maps in a browser can also keep its own language, which you set when you change the language in Google Maps.

App	Follows Windows?	Where to change it separately
Microsoft Edge	Yes, by default	Settings and more > Settings > Languages, then … > Display Microsoft Edge in this language
Word, Excel, Outlook (desktop)	Not guaranteed	File > Options > Language, then Set as Preferred under Office display language
Microsoft 365 on the web	No	Microsoft 365 settings > Language
Microsoft Store and Store apps	Uses the first supported entry in Preferred languages	Reorder Preferred languages

How to check the current display language in Windows

1. Sign back in and open Start; menus and Settings should use the new language.
2. Open Language & region and confirm the Windows display language menu shows your choice.
3. Check the same language sits first under Preferred languages if you want Store apps to match.
4. Restart and look at the sign-in screen if you copied settings to it.

Delete display language in Windows 11

Windows won’t remove the language currently used for display; the Remove option is greyed out for it. Switch first, then remove.

1. Pick a different Windows display language and sign out and back in.
2. Open Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
3. Select … next to the unwanted language and choose Remove (Windows 10: select the language, then Remove).
4. Or run Uninstall-Language de-DE in an administrator PowerShell window.

Why you can’t change the display language on Single Language editions

If Settings shows Only one language pack allowed or Your Windows license supports only one display language, the PC runs a Single Language edition. Microsoft states that languages can’t be added to Home Single Language or Home Country Specific editions.

Edition under Windows specifications	Add display languages?	What still works
Home Single Language	No	Keyboard layouts and regional formats
Home Country Specific	No	Keyboard layouts and regional formats
Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education	Yes, as administrator	Everything in this guide

Windows display language shows only English / only one option?

The language is installed but missing from the display language menu

Only the keyboard or typing features were added, not the language pack.

1. Open Language options or run Get-InstalledLanguage to see what is installed.
2. Remove the language and add it again with Language pack ticked.
3. Sign out and back in, then check the menu again.

The download is stuck or never finishes

Language packs come through Windows Update, so a blocked connection stalls them.

1. Check the internet connection and any proxy or firewall.
2. Install pending updates from Settings > Windows Update and restart.
3. Retry, or run Install-Language in PowerShell to see the error text.

The menu only offers English

Either no other pack is installed or the edition is Single Language.

1. Check the edition under System > About.
2. On other editions, add a language with Language pack selected.

Fix error 0x800f0954 when a language pack fails to download

Language packs and their extras are Features on Demand fetched from Windows Update. The error usually means Windows couldn’t reach that source.

On a home PC

1. Confirm the PC can reach Windows Update with no proxy or firewall blocking it.
2. Install pending updates, restart and retry Add a language.

On a work or school PC

The PC may take updates from WSUS, which may not carry language features.

1. Ask IT, or open the Local Group Policy Editor if you manage the PC.
2. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System.
3. Enable Specify settings for optional component installation and component repair and tick Contact Windows Update directly to download repair content instead of Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).
4. Run gpupdate /force in an elevated Command Prompt and retry.

Display language and screen settings are different things; for resolution or scaling, see our guide on changing display settings.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to restart my computer to change the language?

No full restart is needed for your own account. Signing out and back in applies a new Windows display language. A restart is needed only when you copy settings to the Welcome screen, system accounts or new user accounts.

Why is my language pack download stuck?

Language packs download from Windows Update, so a blocked connection, a proxy, or a WSUS-managed work PC can stall them. Check the internet connection, install pending updates, restart, and try again. Running Install-Language in PowerShell shows the exact error.

Can I change the language back to English later?

Yes. English stays installed unless you remove it, so pick it from the Windows display language drop-down in Language & region settings and sign out. If you removed it, add it again with Add a language before switching.

Does changing the display language change my keyboard?

It can. Microsoft notes that changing the Windows display language might also change the keyboard layout to match. Press Windows logo key + Spacebar to switch back, or remove the unwanted layout under Language options.

Why can't I add a language on Windows Home Single Language?

Home Single Language and Home Country Specific editions cannot add languages. Settings shows a message that the license supports only one display language. Regional formats and keyboard layouts still work on those editions.

Does the display language apply to every user on the PC?

No. The Windows display language is set per account. To apply it to the sign-in screen and to accounts created later, use Copy settings on the Administrative tab of the Region control panel, then restart.

How do I switch input methods quickly?

Press Windows logo key + Spacebar to cycle through installed keyboard layouts and input methods. You can also select the input language icon on the taskbar and pick a layout from the menu.

Does changing the Windows language change the Microsoft Store language?

Usually, yes. The Microsoft Store uses the first supported language in Preferred languages, and choosing a new Windows display language moves that language to the top of the list. If you reordered the list afterwards, drag your language back to the top.