How to Download and Install Language Packs in Windows 11

Checking System Requirements and Preparation

A little preparation prevents most download errors and half-finished installs. Language files come through Windows Update 🔃, so a stable connection matters. You also may need to sign out of your account later, so do not leave unsaved work open.

• Check your internet connection by opening a web browser and loading any page. If the page loads slowly or times out, fix the connection before you continue.
• Save any open work. Installing 💿 a language does not normally force a restart. Changing your display language afterwards does require you to sign out and sign back in.
• Make sure you are signed in with an account that can install features. A standard account on a managed work PC may be blocked from adding languages.

How to Open Language Settings in 🪟 Windows 11

All language packs, keyboard layouts and region settings are managed from one page in the Settings ⚙️ app. The keyboard shortcut below takes you straight into Settings.

1. Press the Win+I to open Settings. You should see the Settings ⚙️ window with a list of categories on the left.
2. Select Time & language from the left-hand menu.
3. Click Language & region. You should now see the language management screen, including the “Preferred languages” list with every language already installed.

Adding and Downloading a New Language Pack

Adding a language downloads the core language interface, the text-to-speech engine and the basic fonts for that language. You pick the language from a searchable list and Windows fetches the files for you.

1. Open Settings › Time & language › Language & region.
2. Find the Preferred languages section and click the Add a language button. A “Choose a language to install” window opens.
3. Type the name of the language into the search 🔍 box, or scroll through the list to find it.
4. Click the language to select it, then click Next. A list of optional features appears.
5. Review the options, such as Set as my Windows display language, Text-to-speech and Handwriting, and tick or untick the boxes you want. Leave Set as my Windows display language unticked if you only want to type in the language and keep your current menus.
6. Click Install. Windows downloads the language pack and shows progress next to the language in the list. Wait until the progress indicator disappears before you do anything else with that language.

Not every language includes every feature. If an option is greyed out or missing for your language, Microsoft does not offer that feature for it. On a Single Language edition of Windows 11 (some Home PCs ship this way), you may not be able to add display languages at all.

Configuring Optional Features and Capabilities

If you skipped an optional feature during setup, you can add it later. Each language has its own options page where you can install handwriting, speech tools and similar features separately.

1. Open Settings › Time & language › Language & region.
2. Find your language in the Preferred languages list, click the three dots (ellipsis) next to it and select Language options. The options page for that language opens.
3. Look at the Optional features section to see what is already installed.
4. Click Add a feature to install text-to-speech voices, speech recognition or handwriting tools that are missing, then follow the prompts to install them.

You can use the same page later to remove a feature you no longer need.

Changing Your Windows Display Language

Changing the Windows display language makes the downloaded pack the language of your menus, Settings windows and dialogs. The language must already be installed before you can pick it.

1. Open Settings › Time & language › Language & region.
2. Check that the language you want appears under Preferred languages. If it does not, install it first using the steps above.
3. Find the Windows display language dropdown at the top of the page. You can also click the three dots next to the language and select Language options.
4. Select your newly installed language from the Windows display language dropdown. If the language is missing from the dropdown, its language pack has not finished installing, or that language cannot be used as a display language.
5. Click Sign out on the prompt that appears, then sign back in. The new language now applies across the whole interface.

To undo the change, repeat these steps and pick your original language. You will need to sign out and back in again.

Switching Between Installed Input Languages

You can switch the keyboard layout you are typing with without changing the display language. This is useful when you write in two languages in the same day.

1. Press Windows key + Spacebar together. A language switcher flyout appears above the taskbar.
2. Keep holding the Windows key and press Spacebar repeatedly to cycle through your installed keyboard layouts and input languages.
3. Release the keys when the layout you want is highlighted. Alternatively, click the language abbreviation (such as "ENG" or "ES") on the right side of the taskbar and pick a layout from the menu.

The abbreviation on the taskbar changes to show which layout is active. If you only see one layout, you have only one input language installed, so add another first.

Troubleshooting Language Pack Download Failures

If a language pack will not download or gets stuck, the cause is usually a pending Windows update, a damaged cache of temporary files that Windows keeps for the download, or a network setting. Work through these steps in order and test the download after each one.

1. Open Settings › Windows Update and check for updates. Install any that appear, then restart your computer.
2. Open Settings › Time & language › Language & region. Click the three dots next to the problem language, select Remove, then add the language again from the start.
3. If downloads still fail, check your metered connection settings. On a metered connection, Windows may hold back large downloads. Turn off the metered setting for your network, or allow downloads over metered connections in the Windows Update advanced options, then try again.

If the problem persists, check that you are not on a VPN or work proxy that blocks Microsoft's update servers.

Removing Unwanted Language Packs

You can remove any language except the one currently set as your Windows display language.

1. Open Settings › Time & language › Language & region.
2. Scroll down to the Preferred languages section.
3. Click the three dots next to the language you want to remove. If Remove is unavailable, that language is probably your active display language. Switch the display language to another one first, sign out and back in, then try again.
4. Click Remove in the menu. The language disappears from the list and from the keyboard switcher.

You can add the language again at any time using the steps earlier in this guide.

Fixing Registry Blocks on Preinstalled Language Packs

On some managed work computers and custom Windows images, preinstalled language packs cannot be removed from Settings. A registry change can lift that restriction. Only use this on a PC you are allowed to change, and ask your IT team first if it belongs to your employer.

Create a restore point or back up your system before you start, and do not change any keys other than the one described here.

1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type regedit and press Enter to open Registry Editor, the database that stores Windows configuration settings. Click Yes if the User Account Control prompt asks for administrator permission.
3. In the left-hand sidebar, navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
4. Check the settings in that key against what your administrator or image documentation specifies, close Registry Editor and restart your computer.

After the restart, go back to Language & region and try removing the language again. To undo the change, restore the key from your backup or use your restore point.

What to do next

Once your language is installed, you can also adjust your date, time and regional formatting in the Language & region page so that dates, numbers and currency match the new language.