How to Change Windows 8 Language

Windows 8 (except the Chinese basic version) comes preloaded with many different languages that you can switch to easily.

Steps

  1. Image titled Change Windows 8 Language Step 1
    1
    Open the Charms bar in Windows 8 by moving your cursor to the bottom right. Click on "Settings."
  2. Image titled Change Windows 8 Language Step 2
    2
    Open the "Control Panel."
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  3. Image titled Change Windows 8 Language Step 3
    3
    Select "Language" from the Control Panel.
  4. Image titled Change Windows 8 Language Step 4
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    Click "Add a language" in the next screen. You'll likely see "English (United States)" as one of the currently active languages.
  5. Image titled Change Windows 8 Language Step 5
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    Select a language from the list that shows up, such as "Afrikaans".
  6. Image titled Change Windows 8 Language Step 6
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    Open the new language option when it appears in the Language screen. Click "Download and install language pack." After it finishes, click "Make language primary."
  7. Image titled Change Windows 8 Language Step 7
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    Click where it says "Eng" in the bottom right corner of the desktop. Select "Afrikaans" to change the keyboard output to Afrikaans, or whatever other language you chose.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    What should I do if the option to download and install a language doesn't appear?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    It may mean that language is not available for your particular system or geographical area.
  • Question
    I have a Spanish laptop (Windows 8), but when I try to download the English pack through the control panel, the download never starts. As if it doesn't exist. Any help?
    Raviteja Renangi
    Raviteja Renangi
    Community Answer
    You have to be on an ethernet connection or WiFi connection to enable the download. Metered connections are not supported by Windows. Keep in mind that Windows 8 is having many bugs, so please try to update your OS with the latest OS like Windows 10.
  • Question
    How do I change the language from Dutch to English on my Windows 8 laptop?
    Ski
    Ski
    Community Answer
    Go to the Control Panel and select "Language" from the Control Panel. Click "Add a language" in the next screen.
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Warnings

  • You'll need to logout and then back in again in order to see the display language change.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 195,279 times.
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Co-authors: 6
Updated: March 28, 2019
Views: 195,279
Categories: Windows 8
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