Change Administrative Language Settings in Windows 11

What the administrative language settings change

Windows keeps several language settings that sound alike but do different jobs. The administrative ones sit at the system level, so they affect the whole PC rather than one person’s account.

• System locale: the language and region Windows uses for programs that do not support Unicode. Older business software, games and utilities often depend on it. The Administrative tab lists it as Current language for non-Unicode programs.
• Welcome screen and system accounts: the language and format used on the sign-in screen and by built-in service accounts (the accounts Windows uses to run background tasks).
• New user accounts: the defaults given to any account created after you copy the settings.

These settings do not change the language of menus and apps in your own account. That is the Windows display language, and it has its own page in Settings. If that is what you need, read how to change the display language in Windows 11 instead.

Before you start

Check three things first, because they decide whether the steps work on your PC.

• Use an administrator account. Windows asks for administrator approval when you select Copy settings or Change system locale. A standard account is a normal user account without admin rights. On one, you need an administrator’s password.
• Save your work. Changing the system locale requires a restart, and Windows offers it right away.
• Set your own account first. Copy settings copies what your signed-in account uses today. If your display language, format or location is wrong, correct it before you copy.

The steps match current versions of Windows 11. Windows 11 Home and Pro both have these settings, so the steps work the same on either edition.

How to change administrative language settings in 🪟 Windows 11

The steps below change administrative language settings in one pass. They open the Region window, copy your language settings to the sign-in screen and new accounts, then set the system locale. If you only need the system locale, skip steps 6 to 10 and start at step 11. Skip steps 11 to 16 if you only want to copy settings.

1. Press Win+I to open Settings ⚙️. The Settings ⚙️ app opens on the System page.

   

2. Select Time & language. The menu is in the left pane. The page lists Date & time, Language & region, Typing and other options.

   

3. Select Language & region. You see your preferred languages, the Windows display language and your Regional format.
4. Scroll down to Related settings. This section sits near the bottom of the page.
5. Select Administrative language settings. The Region window opens. If it shows the Formats tab, select the Administrative tab at the top. You should see two sections: Welcome screen and new user accounts and Language for non-Unicode programs.
6. Select Copy settings. (Administrator required.) A shield icon on the button means it needs administrator approval. Select Yes on the User Account Control prompt, or enter an administrator’s credentials. The Welcome screen and new user settings dialog opens.

   

7. Review the settings ⚙️ listed under Current user. The dialog shows the display language, input language, format and location your account uses. If anything is wrong, select Cancel, fix it in Language & region, and start again from step 6.
8. Select the Welcome screen and system accounts checkbox. This applies your language settings to the sign-in screen and to system accounts. Skip this step if you do not want the sign-in screen to change.
9. Select the New user accounts checkbox. This makes your settings the default for accounts created later. Existing accounts keep their current settings.
10. Select OK. The dialog closes and you return to the Region window. The sign-in screen shows the change after you restart, which happens in step 16.
11. Select Change system locale. (Administrator required.) This button is under Language for non-Unicode programs. Approve the User Account Control prompt if it appears. The Region Settings dialog opens.
12. Open the Current system locale list. The list holds every language and region combination Windows supports, such as English (United States) or Japanese (Japan).
13. Select the language and region you need. Pick the one your older software expects. If you are unsure, check the software’s documentation, because the wrong locale garbles text.
14. Check the UTF-8 box only if you need it. The option is labelled Beta: Use Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support. Leave it clear unless a program or vendor tells you to turn it on. The next section explains the trade-off.
15. Select OK. (Administrator required.) Windows shows a message saying you must restart your 🔄 computer to apply the changes. It offers Restart now and Cancel.

    

16. Select Restart now after saving your work. The PC restarts. If you chose Welcome screen and system accounts in step 8, the sign-in screen now uses the copied settings.
17. Reopen Administrative language settings to confirm. Follow steps 1 to 5 again. Current language for non-Unicode programs now shows the locale you picked.

What the UTF-8 checkbox does

Many modern apps already use Unicode. The checkbox is for the reverse case: it makes Windows treat non-Unicode programs as though they use UTF-8. Microsoft labels it Beta in the dialog, so some older software may behave oddly with it.

Turn it on when a developer tool, script or text-based program (one you run by typing commands) needs UTF-8 to show characters from several languages correctly. Leave it off for older programs written for a specific regional encoding. Those programs can show garbled or unreadable text when UTF-8 is forced on them.

If text looks broken after you enable it, go back to Change system locale, clear the checkbox, select OK, and restart.

Change the Region window’s other tabs if you need them

The Region window has two more tabs next to Administrative. They affect your own account, not the whole system.

• Formatssets how Windows shows dates, times, numbers and currency. For a date-only change, see how to change the date format in Windows 11.
• Locationsets your home location, which some apps and services use for local content.

Changing these does not touch the system locale. They apply to the account you are signed in with.

How to undo the change

Every part of this process can be reversed. Each reversal needs administrator approval.

1. Open Administrative language settings. Use Settings › Time & language › Language & region, then select the link under Related settings.
2. Select Change system locale. Approve the User Account Control prompt.
3. Choose your previous locale from the Current system locale list. Clear the UTF-8 checkbox if you turned it on.
4. Select OK, then Restart now. The old non-Unicode behavior returns after the restart.

Then select Copy settings again and tick the same checkboxes. Windows overwrites the earlier copy. Accounts already created with the old defaults keep them.

If the options are missing or greyed out

Several things can block these controls. Work through them in this order.

• You are signed in with a standard account. Windows prompts for an administrator’s password when you select a button with a shield icon. Enter it, or sign in with an administrator account. If you do not know any administrator password, ask whoever manages the PC.
• The link is missing from Settings. Press Win+R, type intl.cpl, and press Enter. The Region window opens directly. Select the Administrative tab.
• The PC belongs to a work or school. Organizations can lock language and region settings. If the buttons stay greyed out after you approve the User Account Control prompt, your IT team probably controls them. Ask them to change the setting.
• The restart prompt never appears. Close the dialogs and restart the PC from the Start menu. The system locale applies only after a restart.

If Windows keeps changing your language or region

Some people find their settings have changed after a feature update or after they sign in to a new account. Windows can reapply defaults when it sets up a new profile, which is why the New user accounts option matters on shared PCs. Our post on why Windows 11 automatically changes your default language and region settings covers the causes and what to check.

How system-level language differs from app-level language

The system locale does not decide the language of every app. Each app has its own rules, and some keep their own language option separate from Windows. Two examples on the same PC show the difference.

Windows Terminal has its own language behavior, covered in how to change the Windows Terminal language in Windows 11. Microsoft Teams stores its own language and regional settings, which you change through the steps in changing your language and regional settings in Teams. If an app still shows the wrong language after you change the administrative settings, check that app's own settings next.

What to do next

If your sign-in screen and system accounts now use the right language, the typing side may still need attention. Set your layout with how to change your keyboard language to English in Windows 11. To change menus and apps for your own account, use the display language preferences guide.