Facebook reactions allow users to quickly respond to posts and comments with emojis that represent different emotions – Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad, and Angry. By default, the text labels for these reactions appear in the language that is set in your Facebook account preferences. However, Facebook gives you the option to change the display language for reactions separate from your overall Facebook language setting. This allows you to customize your Facebook experience and see reaction labels in your preferred language.
In this article, we will provide a step-by-step guide on how to change the language of Facebook reactions on desktop and mobile devices. We will cover:
- Why you might want to change the reaction language on Facebook
- How to change the language of reactions on Facebook desktop
- How to change the language of reactions in the Facebook mobile app
- The languages supported for Facebook reactions
- Troubleshooting tips for changing Facebook reaction language
Whether you want to view Facebook reactions in your native language or learn the reaction names in a new language you’re studying, this guide will help you update the display language in just a few quick steps.
Why Change the Language of Reactions on Facebook?
Here are some of the main reasons why people might want to update their Facebook reaction language settings:
- See reactions in your native language – If your native/first language differs from the primary language set in your Facebook account, changing the reaction language allows you to see labels you more readily understand.
- Learn a new language – Studying a new language and want to increase your vocabulary? Switching reaction languages can help you learn common emotion words in that language.
- Understand reactions from foreign friends – If you have Facebook friends who post in multiple languages, changing the reaction language can help you grasp the context of reactions they leave on your own posts.
- Use a preferred dialect – You may choose to view reactions in a dialect/variant of your native language (like Canadian French vs. Metropolitan French) rather than the default dialect shown.
- Consistency across devices – You might want your reaction language to match on both desktop and mobile instead of having different defaults.
Whatever your motivation, customizing your Facebook reaction labels is easy to do. Just follow the steps outlined below.
How to Change Facebook Reaction Language on Desktop
If you primarily access Facebook on a desktop browser, here is how to update the reaction language:
1. Log into your Facebook account in a desktop browser and go to your News Feed page.
2. Click on the down arrow in the top right corner of Facebook to access a dropdown menu.
3. Select “Settings & Privacy” in the dropdown menu.
4. This will open your Facebook Settings page. In the left sidebar, click on the “Language and Region” settings option.
5. This will display the various language settings for your Facebook account. Under the “Facebook language” section, click on the “Edit” button to the right of Reactions.
6. A popup will appear that lists dozens of language options for reaction text. Scroll to find your desired language and click on it.
7. Click “Confirm” to save the changes.
8. Refresh your Facebook page. The reaction wording should now display in the language you selected.
You can follow these steps again at any time to choose a different reaction language or revert back to your default Facebook language. The change typically takes effect right away.
How to Change the Language of Reactions on Mobile
To change the reaction language on Facebook mobile:
1. Tap the three-line “hamburger” menu icon in the top right of your Facebook app.
2. Select “Settings & privacy” from the menu.
3. Tap on “Language”.
4. Under “Facebook language”, tap on “Reactions”.
5. You will see a list of dozens of languages. Tap on your desired reaction language.
6. Tap “OK” to confirm the selection.
7. Close and restart the Facebook app to apply the change.
The steps may vary slightly on different versions of the Facebook mobile app, but the general process is the same. You can now react to Facebook posts and comments in your chosen language.
Languages Supported for Facebook Reactions
Facebook allows users to customize reactions in over 80 different languages, including major world languages, regional dialects, and less common languages. Some of the many languages supported include:
- Arabic
- Basque
- Bulgarian
- Bengali
- Catalan
- Chinese (Simplified and Traditional)
- Croatian
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- English (UK and US)
- Finnish
- French (France and Canada)
- Galician
- German
- Greek
- Hebrew
- Hindi
- Hungarian
- Indonesian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Kannada
- Korean
- Malay
- Malayalam
- Marathi
- Norwegian
- Persian
- Polish
- Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal)
- Punjabi
- Romanian
- Russian
- Serbian
- Slovak
- Slovenian
- Spanish (Spain and Mexico)
- Swahili
- Swedish
- Tamil
- Telugu
- Thai
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
- Urdu
- Vietnamese
- Zulu
So whether you speak English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Arabic, or another global language, you can likely find a reaction language tailored to your needs. The full list of options is accessible when you go to change the language in your Facebook settings.
Troubleshooting Tips for Facebook Reaction Language
In some cases, you may run into issues when trying to change the language of your Facebook reactions. Here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Make sure you have fully logged out and back into Facebook after changing the language. The new setting may not apply until you refresh your session.
- On mobile, check that you have completely closed the app and restarted it for the change to take effect.
- Your desired language may not be supported by Facebook reactions yet. Check the full list of options when changing languages.
- Very rarely used dialects may default to the primary language for the region instead of an exact dialect match.
- If your Facebook language is already set to the language you want for reactions, it will not display in the reaction options.
- Temporarily switch your overall Facebook language to trigger a reaction language dropdown, then select your original language.
- On desktop, check that you are updating the reaction language specifically under Language and Region settings, not just the general Facebook language.
- Make sure you have selected the correct region variation for your language (e.g. Portuguese Brazil vs. Portuguese Portugal).
- If problems persist, try logging out and back in to Facebook on all devices or updating the Facebook app.
In most cases, refreshing your Facebook login session resolves any issues with the updated reaction language not showing properly.
Conclusion
Being able to customize the language for Facebook reactions allows you to personalize your user experience based on your own preferences and needs. Whether you want to make reactions easier to understand, learn new vocabulary, or accommodate friends who post in multiple languages, updating the reaction language is a useful feature.
With just a few taps or clicks in your Facebook settings on mobile or desktop, you can start viewing Facebook reaction labels in your chosen language. The steps outlined above walk through the simple process on both platforms. Reaction languages can be changed back at any time, so feel free to experiment to find the option that works best for you.
| Platform | Steps to Change Reaction Language |
| Desktop |
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| Mobile App |
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With over 80 languages to choose from, you likely can find a Facebook reaction language tailored to your specific needs and preferences. Change the setting on both mobile and desktop to ensure consistency across all your Facebook platforms. If you run into any issues getting the new language to display properly, try logging out and back into Facebook to refresh the update. Custom reactions languages give you another way to personalize your Facebook experience.