Many Windows laptops and computers come preinstalled with Windows with a specific default system language in different regions. Therefore, after purchasing a Windows PC, Microsoft allows users to change the default system language in Windows 10. Whether you want to switch to a different language for business or for ease of navigating through the different menus, you can do this in a few steps. . Switching to a local language or any language can make the options in Windows easier to understand and use.
While the list of languages supported in Windows 10 is not exhaustive, Microsoft lists some of the more popular ones like Chinese, Greek, Russian, and even Tamil. As we will explore below, there can be several reasons why someone would want to change the default system language on a Windows 10 computer.
Let’s start.
Why Should You Change the System Language?
When reinstalling or installing the Windows 10 operating system, it prompts users to select the default system language. Ideally, most users choose English.
But later on, you may want to change the default system language to the one that suits you. This also happens when you buy a second-hand or used computer and it’s set to a different language.
Also, if you are learning a foreign language, changing the Windows system language to the language you are learning can help you pick up words quickly.
Essentially, in Windows you can change the language at any time and the process is pretty simple.
How to Change System Language in Windows 10
Before selecting the desired language or changing the language, you should make sure that the language is available on your Windows system. You can confirm this in Windows Settings.
Stage 1: Press Windows key+I to open Windows Settings and click Time & language.
Step 2: Select Language from the left sidebar and click Add language.
Stage 3: In the popup that follows, you will see a list of available languages. There is a search bar to search for the language of your choice. Select your preferred system language for Windows 10 and click Next.
Step 4: Windows will now take a few minutes and will download the necessary language files depending on your internet speed. You can now change the Windows display language along with a few other places. Let’s go through these quickly.
Step 5: Click on the Windows display icon in this window and then select your preferred language from the drop-down menu.
Step 6: Click Apps and websites to choose the display language for the apps and websites you visit on the web. The first language in the list is the default language. To move your preferred language up, click the language to expand it and then click the up arrow button until it is the first language in the list.
Step 7: Click on the keyboard icon and you can choose the default language from the drop-down menu.
Step 8: Finally, if you are using this feature to dictate or use speech-to-text apps, click the Speech icon to change the default speech language.
Change Welcome Screen and New User Account Language
We also saw how to change the Windows display language, the language in which applications and sites are shown, the keyboard and speech languages. However, these changes are limited to your current user account only. What happens if you create a new user account on a Windows computer? The same is true for the Windows welcome, login and logout, shutdown, and Start menu screen. The option to change the language on these screens is hidden in the Control Panel.
Stage 1: Search for and open Control Panel from the start menu.
Step 2: Go to Clock & Region > Region and you will be greeted with a popup. Under the Administration tab, click the Copy settings button.
Stage 3: In the next popup, under the ‘Copy your current settings to’ heading, select ‘Welcome screen and system accounts’ and ‘New user accounts’. Save all settings before shutting down. A reboot will be required before the selected language is set globally by the operating system system-wide.
This setting copies the system language you set, so everything from the welcome screen to the Start menu appears in the selected language. So first we need to set the display language in Windows Settings.
Once you do this, you won’t have to change the default language again when creating a new user account.
Watch Your Language
Windows 10 makes it easy to change the system language and offers granular control over which parts of the system you want to change the language of. The image can be apps, websites, the Start menu, or even the welcome screen. Let us know what you think in the comments below or if you have any other language tips and tricks that you believe might help our readers.
Next: If your Windows 10 keyboard is in a different non-US English language, check out three ways to change it to your preferred language/layout.