How to Change the Language in Duolingo (App & Desktop)
Duolingo supports dozens of languages, and switching between them — whether you're adding a new course, changing your interface language, or swapping your learning target — is one of the most common things users need to do. The process is straightforward once you understand how Duolingo separates two distinct language settings that many people confuse.
The Two Language Settings You Need to Know
Before diving into steps, it helps to understand what "language" actually means inside Duolingo. There are two separate settings:
- The language you're learning — the target language of your active course (Spanish, French, Japanese, etc.)
- The interface language — the language Duolingo itself displays menus, instructions, and explanations in
These are controlled independently, and changing one doesn't automatically change the other. Most users asking this question want to switch their learning language, but some want to change the app's display language — and the steps differ.
How to Switch the Language You're Learning
On the Duolingo Mobile App (iOS & Android)
- Open the Duolingo app and log in.
- Tap the flag icon at the top of the home screen — this represents your currently active course.
- Select "Course" from the menu that appears.
- You'll see your active courses and a "+ Add a course" button.
- Tap the course you want to switch to, or add a new one.
Your progress in each course is saved separately, so switching doesn't delete anything. You can return to any previous course at any time.
On Duolingo Web (Desktop)
- Go to duolingo.com and log in.
- Click your profile icon or flag in the top navigation bar.
- Select "Switch Course" from the dropdown.
- Choose an existing course or click "Add a new course" to browse available languages.
The web interface and mobile app both sync to the same account, so any course you add on one platform is immediately accessible on the other.
How to Change Duolingo's Interface Language
The interface language — the language menus and lesson instructions appear in — is tied to the "I speak..." setting within a course, not a standalone app-wide preference. 🌐
To change it:
- When adding a new course, Duolingo asks "I speak..." — this sets which language the app uses to teach you.
- To change this after setup, go to Profile → Settings on web, then look for "Learning language" settings, where you can edit your base language.
- On mobile, navigate to Profile → Settings → Account to find similar options depending on your app version.
Keep in mind: if your phone's system language is set to, say, French, Duolingo may default its interface to French when you first install or log in. Adjusting your device's system language can influence Duolingo's default display language, though the two settings operate independently once you configure them inside the app.
Variables That Affect the Process
Not every user has the same experience, and a few factors shape how this works in practice:
| Variable | How It Affects Language Switching |
|---|---|
| App version | Older versions may have slightly different menu layouts |
| Account age | Legacy accounts may show different settings paths |
| Device OS | iOS and Android apps can differ in navigation structure |
| Course availability | Not all language pairs are available (e.g., learning Welsh from Japanese is limited) |
| Free vs. Super Duolingo | Core language switching is free; some features around it may differ |
Course availability is worth flagging specifically. Duolingo's library is built around language pairs — meaning the teaching language matters. If you want to learn Korean but your interface language is set to Portuguese, that specific combination may not be available. Switching your base language to English often opens up the most course options, since English-based courses have the widest selection.
When You Have Multiple Courses Active 🔄
Duolingo allows you to maintain multiple active courses simultaneously. This is useful for language learners juggling more than one target language, or for users who want to keep a course in one language while experimenting with another.
Each course tracks its own:
- Streak contributions (any lesson in any course counts)
- XP and leaderboard position (combined across courses)
- Individual lesson progress (separate per course)
Switching between active courses is just a matter of tapping the flag icon — no settings menu required once the courses are already added.
What Happens to Your Progress When You Switch
Nothing is lost. Duolingo stores all course progress to your account, not the device. Whether you switch languages temporarily or abandon a course for months, your hearts, crowns, streaks within that course, and lesson completions are preserved when you return.
The one thing that resets independently is your daily streak — but this is tied to completing any lesson each day, not to a specific language. Switching courses mid-day won't break a streak as long as you've already done a lesson.
The Part That Depends on Your Situation
The steps above cover the mechanics reliably. But which language to switch to, whether to adjust your interface language or just your learning language, and how to structure courses if you're studying multiple languages at once — those answers aren't one-size-fits-all. 🎯 They hinge on how you're using the app, what device you're on, which language pairs Duolingo actually supports for your base language, and what your learning goals look like day-to-day. The settings are simple; the right configuration for your setup is a different question.