Change your Facebook language in three steps

Facebook lets you change the language of your interface — the menus, buttons, and labels you see on screen — from your account settings. The process takes less than a minute and works the same way on desktop and mobile. Your language choice affects only your own account; it does not change what language your friends see or what language posts appear in.

The language you select becomes your default every time you log in. If you switch devices or use Facebook in a web browser on a different computer, you will see your chosen language there too, as long as you are signed into the same account.

Key Takeaways

  • You change your Facebook language through Settings and Privacy, then Settings, then Language and Region.
  • Facebook offers more than 100 languages, and the change takes effect immediately after you save it.
  • Changing your language does not affect the language of posts, comments, or messages from other people — only the words Facebook itself uses on your screen.
  • If you use Facebook on multiple devices, your language choice syncs across all of them when you are logged into the same account.

How to change language on desktop

Open Facebook in a web browser and look for the downward-pointing arrow or three horizontal lines (called a menu icon) in the top right corner of the screen. Click it to open a dropdown menu.

Select Settings and Privacy, then click Settings. On the left side of the screen, you will see a list of options. Scroll down until you find Language and Region and click it.

Next to Language, you will see your current language listed. Click the Edit button or the pencil icon next to it. A list of available languages will appear. Find the language you want and click it. Facebook will ask you to confirm the change — click the confirmation button, and your interface will switch immediately.

How to change language on mobile (iPhone or Android)

Open the Facebook app and tap the three horizontal lines (menu icon) in the bottom right corner of the screen. Scroll down and tap Settings and Privacy, then tap Settings.

Scroll down the settings page until you see Language and Region and tap it. Tap Language to see the full list of available languages. Select the language you want, and the change will take effect right away.

If you do not see Language and Region in your settings, make sure you are using the most recent version of the Facebook app. Check your device's app store (Apple App Store for iPhone, Google Play Store for Android) and update if a newer version is available.

What happens when you change your language

When you change your language, Facebook translates all the words it controls — button labels, menu names, notification text, and setting names. The change happens instantly and applies every time you log in from any device using that account.

Posts, comments, and messages from other people will still appear in whatever language they wrote them in. Facebook does offer an automatic translation feature for posts and comments, but that is separate from your language setting and must be turned on individually for each post.

If you change your mind, you can switch back to your previous language the same way. There is no limit to how many times you can change your language setting.

If your language is not in the list

Facebook supports more than 100 languages, but not every language is available in every region. If you do not see your language listed, it may not be available for your location, or Facebook may not have a translation for it yet.

You can still use Facebook in English or another available language. Some languages also have regional variations — for example, Spanish (Spain) and Spanish (Mexico) are listed separately. Make sure you are looking at the correct regional version if your language appears more than once.

Troubleshooting language change problems

If your language does not change after you select it, try logging out and logging back in. Sometimes the change does not display until you refresh your session. Close the Facebook app completely (not just minimize it) and open it again, or close your browser tab and open Facebook in a new tab.

If you are using Facebook on multiple devices and see different languages on each one, check that you are logged into the same account on all devices. Each account stores its own language preference, so if you have multiple accounts, each one will remember the language you set for it separately.

If the language menu itself is not in a language you understand, look for the gear icon or menu icon in the top right or bottom right corner (depending on whether you are on desktop or mobile), then look for the word that appears in the same position as "Settings" appeared before. The settings page layout is the same regardless of language.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing my language affect what my friends see?

No. Your language setting changes only what you see on your own screen. Your friends will see Facebook in whatever language they have set for their own accounts. Your posts, comments, and messages will appear in the language you wrote them in, regardless of what language your Facebook interface is set to.

Can I set different languages for different devices?

No. Your language preference is tied to your account, not to individual devices. If you log into the same Facebook account on your phone and your computer, both will display Facebook in the same language. If you want different languages on different devices, you would need to use different Facebook accounts.

What if I accidentally changed my language and cannot read the menus now?

Look for the icon in the top right (desktop) or bottom right (mobile) corner and tap it to open settings. The settings page layout stays the same in every language. Find the option in the same position where "Language and Region" appeared before, select it, and choose your preferred language from the list.

Does changing my language change the language of notifications I receive?

Yes. Notifications from Facebook — like alerts about friend requests, comments, or messages — will appear in the language you set for your account. Notifications will not translate the actual content of messages or posts, only the labels and descriptions Facebook adds to them.