Having your Facebook account suddenly switch to another language can be confusing and frustrating. Luckily, it’s usually an easy fix to get your account back to your preferred language. In this article, we’ll go over the common reasons why Facebook may change languages and walk through the steps to get it back to the language you want.
Why Did My Facebook Change Languages?
There are a few potential reasons why your Facebook language may have suddenly changed:
- You accidentally changed the language in your settings
- Someone else who used your computer changed the language
- Your browser settings are set to a different language
- Facebook automatically detected a different language based on your recent activity
Facebook tries to automatically detect the language you prefer based on things like your friends’ languages, posts you’ve liked, and your activity. However, it’s not 100% accurate, so you may end up with the wrong language set automatically.
The good news is switching your language back is straightforward once you know where to look.
How to Change Facebook Back to Your Language
Here are step-by-step instructions to change your Facebook language back:
- Click on the down arrow in the top right corner of Facebook.
- In the drop-down menu, select “Settings”.
- On the left side of the Settings page, click “Language”.
- Under “Facebook language”, click “Edit” next to your current language.
- Select your desired language from the list.
- Click “Save Changes” at the bottom.
And that’s it! Facebook should now display in the language you selected. The change may take a few minutes to fully take effect throughout Facebook.
Here is a screenshot showing where to find the Language settings:
If you don’t see your language in the options, here are some tips:
- Make sure you are updated to the latest version of Facebook. Older versions may have fewer language options.
- Try setting your browser to your preferred language, then check Facebook again.
- On a computer, you can install the Chrome browser extension “Facebook Language Selector” to add more language options.
How to Prevent Facebook from Switching Languages
To stop Facebook from automatically changing your language in the future, there are a couple steps you can take:
Set Your Browser Language
Facebook may detect the language based on your browser settings. To set your browser’s language:
- Chrome: Click the 3 dots in the top right > Settings > Advanced > Languages > Add your preferred language(s)
- Firefox: Click the 3 lines in the top right > Options > General > Languages > Choose your language and move to the top
- Safari: Preferences > General > Set “Preferred languages” to your choice
Turn Off Automatic Translation
You can tell Facebook not to automatically translate posts into other languages:
- Go to your Facebook Settings
- Click “Language and Region” on the left
- Under “Translation”, disable “Automatically translate posts, comments and Marketplace items that aren’t in a language you understand”
This will stop Facebook from detecting other languages and translating content without your permission.
Other Facebook Language Settings
While you’re in the Language settings, you may want to update a few other options:
- Multiple Languages: Choose additional languages you’re fluent in. This allows you to switch between languages easily in the top right menu.
- Comments Language Ranking: Drag and drop languages to control which order comments are translated into.
- Page Translation: Let Facebook know if you manage any Pages and want to allow translation. This makes your Page content reach more people.
Updating these additional settings can optimize Facebook to best match all the languages you speak and interact with.
Troubleshooting Problems Changing Facebook’s Language
If you’re still having issues getting Facebook to display your preferred language, here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Log out and back in: Sometimes a fresh login makes language settings “stick”.
- Clear browser cache: Old cached Facebook data can cause language issues. Clear your browser history and cache and try again.
- Try a different browser: Attempt the steps above in a different browser like Chrome or Firefox.
- Check your browser extensions: An add-on or extension may be modifying the language on Facebook.
- Restart your computer: As a last resort, a restart can clear any stuck language settings.
Resetting things by logging out, changing browsers, or restarting can often nudge Facebook into obeying your language choices.
Contact Facebook Support
If you still cannot get Facebook to switch languages after trying all troubleshooting steps, you may need to contact Facebook support:
- Go to Facebook Settings > Help & Support
- Click “Give Feedback” and select “Report a Problem”
- Choose the issue type as “Account Setting Issues” and explain your language issue
Facebook’s support team can then investigate and fix the problem on their end. Be sure to clearly describe what language you want Facebook to display.
Conclusion
Having Facebook suddenly switch interface languages can be annoying, but getting it back to your preferred language is straightforward. Just dive into your account’s Language settings, choose your desired language, and do some simple browser configuration.
With these steps, Facebook will stick to the language you want and stop automatically detecting and changing languages incorrectly. If issues persist, Facebook’s support team can look into any glitches on the backend.
The key is regularly checking Facebook’s language setting as you use the site on different devices. Turning off automatic translation prevents unwanted language switches. And optimizing browser languages makes your preferences clear.
With a few simple settings changes, you can say goodbye to the frustration of a foreign language Facebook, and hello again to your native language.
| Section | Key Points |
|---|---|
| Why Did My Facebook Change Languages? |
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| How to Change Facebook Back to Your Language |
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| How to Prevent Facebook from Switching Languages |
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| Troubleshooting Problems Changing Facebook’s Language |
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