If you’ve suddenly noticed your Facebook feed and interface changing to Chinese, don’t panic! There are a few simple reasons why this might happen and some easy fixes to switch it back to your preferred language.
You Accidentally Changed Your Language Setting
The most common reason for Facebook suddenly switching to Chinese is because your personal language setting got changed. Facebook allows you to customize the interface language and will default to showing you posts, comments, and other content in that language.
It’s possible you or someone else who uses your computer accidentally bumped the language dropdown menu at the bottom of your Facebook page and selected Chinese. Or perhaps you were browsing Facebook from a public computer or a friend’s device that had Chinese already set as the language.
The good news is this is a very easy fix!
Here’s how to get Facebook back into your language:
- Click on the arrow in the bottom right corner of your Facebook page to open the language menu.
- Select the language you want, such as English, from the options.
- The page will refresh and you should now see Facebook in your preferred language.
That’s all there is to it! Facebook should now be back to displaying in the correct language for you.
You Have Chinese Keyboard Input Enabled
Another possibility if you’re seeing Chinese text on Facebook is that you have Chinese keyboard input enabled on your device. This allows you to type Chinese characters into text fields.
If you or someone used your computer and enabled the Chinese input keyboard, then any typing in Facebook could result in Chinese characters instead of your normal alphabet letters.
To check if this is the cause:
- Go into your device’s keyboard settings menu.
- Look for the enabled input methods.
- Disable any Chinese input keyboards like Pinyin or Cangjie.
- Keep just your regular alphabetic keyboard enabled.
This will prevent Chinese text from accidentally being typed into Facebook or other apps.
You Have Friends Who Post in Chinese
Seeing some Chinese text on your Facebook feed doesn’t necessarily mean the interface has changed languages. It could simply be that some of your Facebook friends are posting status updates, comments, or sharing links in Chinese.
Facebook shows you posts from all your connections in your news feed. If you have added friends who live in China or other Chinese-speaking regions, they may often write their updates in Chinese.
You will see a mix of languages in your feed based on the diversity of your friends list. Seeing some Chinese posts doesn’t mean your account settings have changed.
If you want to limit the Chinese content you see, you can either unfollow or unfriend those connections. Otherwise, just scroll past the Chinese posts and continue reading the posts in languages you understand.
You Have Chinese Area or Language Targeted Ads
In addition to posts from your friends, your Facebook feed also includes sponsored ads. The ads shown can be targeted based on your location, interests, and demographic details.
If you live in or near China, travel there often, or have otherwise been targeted as someone who knows Chinese, you may see ads in Simplified or Traditional Chinese.
The ads will match the targeting set by the advertiser. But the rest of your Facebook interface should still be in your set language.
If you want to see fewer Chinese ads, you can update your Facebook ad preferences and remove any interest or location categories related to China.
You Have a Facebook Interface Translation Extension
There are browser extensions and plugins that can translate the Facebook interface to other languages or change it for fun.
If you have a translation extension installed, it may be set to translate Facebook or other sites into Chinese text.
To check for this, look at your browser extensions and see if any of them mention Facebook, language, translation, or China. Disable any extensions that might be translating the Facebook UI without you realizing it.
How to Use Facebook in Chinese
While an unexpected Chinese interface can be confusing, you may also want to intentionally use Facebook in Chinese at times. This allows you to connect with Chinese-speaking friends and practice your language skills.
Switching your Facebook language to Chinese is very easy. Here are some tips:
- Go to the language menu dropdown and select either Simplified or Traditional Chinese.
- Type out posts, comments, and messages in Chinese using Pinyin input or other Chinese keyboards.
- Customize your Profile language to share info about yourself in Chinese.
- Join Chinese-language Groups and Follow Chinese celebrity Pages to find more Chinese content.
- Change ad preferences to target ads from Chinese businesses.
Practicing reading and writing Chinese on Facebook is a great way to apply your skills in a natural, conversational setting. The more Chinese input you add, the more the algorithm will tailor your experience to match.
Get Help from Facebook Directly
If you still can’t figure out why all of Facebook switched to Chinese, you can also contact Facebook support directly for help.
Here are some ways to get in touch with Facebook support:
- Click Help at the bottom of the Facebook page and use the Contact form.
- Start a live chat with Facebook support in the Help Center.
- Call Facebook support using the toll-free number for your country.
- Tweet @FacebookSupport on Twitter to ask for help.
Explain your issue and mention you are seeing Facebook in Chinese when it should be in your own language. The support reps can investigate your specific account and provide personalized troubleshooting.
Conclusion
Facebook suddenly switching interface languages can be disorienting, but is usually simple to fix. The most likely culprits are accidental language settings changes, enabled Chinese keyboard input, posts from Chinese friends, or incorrectly targeted ads.
You can switch the language back in your account settings, disable Chinese input keyboards, unfollow connections, or update ad preferences. And if all else fails, reach out to Facebook support to help get your language configuration back on track.
With the right tweaks, you’ll be back to scrolling your Facebook feed in the language you understand best in no time!