Windows · Accessibility
Manage Language & Region Settings
Language & Region settings let you configure your display language, keyboard layouts, regional date/time formats, and add additional languages for typing and speech.
How to open Language & Region
- Open Settings → Time & Language → Language & region.
- Click 'Add a language' to install a new one.
- Set your preferred display language and region format.
- Restart or sign out if prompted to apply changes.
What you should know
- Add or remove display and input languages.
- Change regional formats for date, time, and currency.
- Download language packs for offline typing and speech recognition.
- Set a preferred keyboard layout for each installed language.
Changing your display language may require signing out or restarting your device for changes to fully apply.
Why it matters
Language and region settings affect far more than just menu text — they control date formats, currency symbols, keyboard layouts, and even how spell-check and autocorrect behave across every app on your system. For multilingual users or anyone who splits time between countries, correctly configuring input languages avoids the daily annoyance of typing accents or special characters incorrectly. Getting the regional format right also matters practically, since it affects how forms, spreadsheets, and financial software interpret dates and numbers.
Best practices
- Set your regional format to match your actual location even if your display language differs, so dates and currency display correctly.
- Download the full language pack, not just the keyboard layout, if you need speech recognition or spell-check in that language.
- Assign a distinct keyboard shortcut to quickly switch between installed languages if you type in more than one regularly.
- Restart or sign out after changing the display language to ensure the change fully applies across all apps.
Common problems and fixes
- Some apps still show the old language after switching the system display language.
- Fully sign out and back in, or restart the PC, since many apps only pick up the new display language at the next login rather than instantly.
- Keyboard produces the wrong characters or symbols.
- Check that the correct keyboard layout, not just language, is selected, since a language can have multiple layout variants like QWERTY vs QWERTZ.
- Date and number formats look wrong in spreadsheets despite the correct display language.
- Change the regional format separately under Language & region, since display language and regional format (date/currency/number formatting) are independent settings.
Tips and tricks
- Use Win+Space to quickly cycle between installed input languages and keyboard layouts without touching Settings.
- Use Win+period to open the emoji panel, which also includes special characters and symbols useful for non-English typing.
- Download offline speech and handwriting packs for a language before traveling if you plan to use dictation without reliable internet.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between display language and regional format?
Display language controls the language of menus and system text, while regional format controls how dates, times, currency, and numbers are formatted — you can have an English display language with a different country's regional formatting.
Do I need to restart my PC after adding a new language?
Not always for typing, but the full display language change typically requires signing out or restarting for every app to reflect it correctly.
Can I use multiple keyboard layouts for the same language?
Yes, you can add multiple layouts, like US and UK English, under the language's keyboard options and switch between them using the language bar or a keyboard shortcut.
Related settings
- Default AppsDefault Apps settings let you choose which application opens specific file types and links by default, such as your browser, email client, photo viewer, or music player.
- NotificationsNotification settings let you control which apps can send alerts, how they appear, and when Do Not Disturb (Focus Assist) is active to reduce interruptions.
More Accessibility guides for Windows
- AccessibilityAccessibility settings (renamed from Ease of Access in earlier Windows versions) bring together vision, hearing, and interaction tools like Magnifier, Narrator, high contrast themes, live captions, and Sticky Keys. These features are designed to make Windows usable regardless of visual, auditory, or mobility needs, but many are genuinely useful for anyone.
- Voice TypingVoice Typing lets you dictate text directly into any text field using your PC's microphone instead of a physical keyboard, powered by online speech recognition. Triggered with Win+H, it includes automatic punctuation, voice commands for corrections, and support for multiple dictation languages.
- NarratorNarrator is the screen reader built into Windows 11 that reads aloud on-screen text, describes buttons and controls, and lets you operate the entire system with the keyboard or touch instead of a mouse.
- Contrast ThemesContrast themes apply high-contrast color combinations across Windows and apps, making text and UI elements easier to distinguish for people with low vision or light sensitivity.
- Text SizeText size lets you enlarge text in most Windows apps and menus independently of overall display scaling, making content easier to read without shrinking the layout of everything else.
- Text CursorText cursor settings let you change the color, size, and indicator of the blinking cursor that appears when typing, making it easier to locate on screen.