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Changing an admininstrator user language is pretty straight-forward, but it does not change the language of the Boot screen, Welcome screen, Login screen, etc...

Pretty much anything that's not on the desktop remains in the original language of the installation so it can look really ugly (for example, having a menu label in Spanish, and the menu items in English, etc.)

How to change that?

I've Googled this for hours and could only find answers about how to change the user language, which is completely irrelevant for this issue.

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2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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There is a great, but not really obvious option that can do this. It will work for Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10.

Here are the steps:

  • open Control Panel
  • open Region
  • open the Administrative tab
  • click the button Copy Settings

On this screen you can copy your current language (of course, make sure your user language is set to the one you want to use everywhere) to the system account which will cause everything to show up in the language you choose. You also have an option to set it as default for new users.

Changing the settings will require a system restart.

This answer is inspired by Kari's answer on sevenforums.

enter image description here

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  • 6
    Since I have had an impact on 1 million users and the fact this has to be the single best answer to a question I have seen in the last 4 years, I am going to issue a bounty to this answer, this question has been asked dozens upon dozens of times and I have never seen anyone actually answer it.
    – Ramhound
    Aug 1, 2015 at 1:02
  • 2
    @Ramhound Thank you so much! I'm actually glad to hear I'm not the only one who spent hours on this. :)
    – Shomz
    Aug 1, 2015 at 1:04
  • 6
    4 years and I have never seen anyone actually know how to answer this question.
    – Ramhound
    Aug 1, 2015 at 1:05
  • 3
    Bounty awarded. You should make every answer you submit this good.
    – Ramhound
    Aug 6, 2015 at 1:32
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    You've probably figured it out by now (as it took me like 15 seconds to find it), the identical menu exist under "Region". Everything else is the same. @576i
    – Shomz
    Jan 28, 2017 at 19:02
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  • You type your password and log in;
  • Windows tells that your type incorrect password;
  • you change the input language to English and log in again.
  • You do so many times a day.

W10 Welcome screen always have an input languages of your last active window.
This is not enough to "Copy Settings" as it is instructed in another answer here.
You have also switch on a different input method for each app window setting.

For Windows 10 after 2018
Start > Settings (the gear icon right above the power icon)
Time & Language > Language (in the left bar) > Keyboard
Select "Let me set a different input method for each app window" checkbox.

Let me set a different input method for each app window

For Windows 10 between 2016 and 2018
Control Panel > Clock, Language, and Region > Language
Advanced settings (in the left bar)
Select "Let me set a different input method for each app window" checkbox.

Let me set a different input method for each app window

I would prefer to have Let me set a different input method for each app window unchecked, but Microsoft doesn't give us a chance.

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