How to Change the Language on Facebook (App and Computer)

Most people go looking for Facebook's language setting in one of two moods. Either you'd like Facebook in your own language, or you've tapped something by accident and now every menu's in a language you can't read. Both are fixable in under a minute. If you run a business Page with customers abroad, it also helps to understand how Facebook's translation options sit alongside your own account language.

The steps below follow Facebook's help article Change your language settings on Facebook. Menus vary by app version, so the labels on your screen may be worded slightly differently.

Switching Facebook's language on a computer

1. Click your profile picture in the top right of Facebook.
2. Select Settings & privacy, then click Settings.
3. Click Language and region.
4. Next to Account language, click the current language (or Choose) and select the language you want.
5. Click OK.

Facebook describes Language and region as the place to manage the language and date format you use on Facebook, so everything language-related sits in that one section.

Changing the Facebook app language on a phone

The app follows the same idea. Depending on your version, the route looks something like this:

1. Open the Facebook app and tap the menu.
2. Tap Settings & privacy, then Settings.
3. Look for Language and region and tap it.
4. Choose your account language from the list.

If you can't spot it, Facebook's help page on finding your settings says you can use the search box inside Settings. Typing language should bring it up.

Facebook language settings only apply to one device

This is the detail that confuses people most. Facebook's help article says that if you change your language settings on one device, it won't change them on another. So if you switch your laptop to Spanish, your phone app can stay in English, and you'll need to change each one you use.

The same article also makes clear that changing Facebook's language won't change the language of your computer, phone or tablet. Your device settings are a separate thing entirely.

What happens to dates and times when the language changes

According to Facebook's help page, when you change your language, your region settings (date, time and number formats) update automatically to match. If you'd prefer to keep your language but see dates in a different format, you can adjust date, time and number formats on their own in the same Language and region section. Changing those formats won't change the language.

Stuck in a Facebook language you can't read?

It happens more than you'd think, often after a child or a stray tap has been at work. A few calm steps help:

• Use another device where Facebook is still in your language. The menus are laid out in the same order, so you can follow the positions of each item on the device you can read.
• Remember the order of the route: your profile picture, then Settings & privacy, then Settings, then Language and region. Each item stays in roughly the same place even when the words change.
• The language you're choosing is listed in its own script and spelling, so you'll recognise English, Deutsch or Español in the list even if the rest of the screen's unfamiliar.

Facebook translation language for posts and comments

Your account language controls Facebook's menus and buttons. It doesn't decide how posts written by other people are translated. Facebook's help article How do I change the language that Facebook posts or comments are translated to explains that the translation options also live in Language and region. There you can choose the language you'd like posts translated into, or turn off translations for posts in particular languages.

Setting	What it changes
Account language	Facebook's menus and buttons on that device
Region format	How dates, times and numbers are shown
Post translations	The language other people's posts are translated into
Device language	Your phone or computer, not Facebook

Language choices for small businesses with an international audience

If your customers speak different languages, your own account language makes no difference to what they see. They'll see Facebook in their chosen language, and they can use their own translation settings on your posts. What you can control is how clearly you write. Short, plain sentences tend to translate better than slang or puns, and a post that makes sense after translation is a post that gets understood.

While you're in Settings, it's worth checking the rest of your setup. My walkthrough of where to find your Facebook groups in Settings covers more of the menu, and if the pings are getting too much, here's how to turn off notifications on Facebook.

If the Facebook language option won't save

• Update the app, because older versions can hide or rename the Language and region section.
• Check you changed the setting on the device you're using now, since the change is per device.
• Log out and back in if the menus haven't switched after you've clicked OK.
• Try the change on a computer if the app keeps reverting.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the language setting on Facebook?

Facebook's help article puts it under Settings & privacy, then Settings, then Language and region, next to Account language.

Why is Facebook still in the old language on my phone?

Facebook says a language change on one device doesn't change it on another, so you'll need to change it on each device.

Will changing Facebook's language change my phone's language?

No. Facebook's help page says changing your Facebook account language won't change your computer, phone or tablet settings.

Can I keep English but use a different date format?

Yes. You can adjust date, time and number formats separately in Language and region, and that won't change the language.

How do I stop Facebook translating posts?

Use the translation options in Language and region, where Facebook lets you turn off translations for posts in particular languages.