How do I change my YouTube app to English?

You can select your preferred language and location on YouTube using your computer or on mobile web. When using the YouTube mobile app, you can select your location. Language settings change the text that appears during videos.* The location you choose impacts the videos that surface for:

  • Recommendations
  • Trending
  • News

YouTube provides language and content preferences for all countries/regions and languages where YouTube is available. We're constantly expanding the ability for the product to reach more users. If you cannot find your language or country/region, select an option that is most appropriate for your needs and interests.

If YouTube can’t find your country/region, the default location is the United States.

*Note that in India, language settings change the videos that are shown on Home and Trending. 

YouTube on smart TVs and game consoles

By default, the YouTube app on smart TVs and game consoles will follow the language and location settings of your device. You can change these settings for YouTube at any time:
Open the YouTube app on your smart TV or game console.

  1. Select Settings . 
  2. Select Language to choose a different language.
  3. Select Location to choose a different location.

Change the search language for your keyboard

You can also change the search language setting for the search keyboard:

  1. Open the YouTube app on your smart TV or game console.
  2. Select Search Choose a language.

The search keyboard supports the following languages:

  • Arabic
  • Chinese Simplified 
  • Chinese Traditional (Hong Kong)
  • Chinese Traditional (Taiwan)
  • Danish
  • Dutch
  • English
  • French
  • French (Canada)
  • German
  • Greek
  • Hebrew
  • Hungarian
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Norwegian
  • Polish
  • Portuguese
  • Portuguese (Brazil)
  • Russian
  • Spanish
  • Spanish (Mexico)
  • Spanish (US)
  • Swedish
  • Thai
  • Turkish
  • Ukrainian
  • Vietnamese

Note: If your app language is not supported, the search keyboard will default to English.

Follow the instructions below for the YouTube app or mobile site.

YouTube app

Language settings for the mobile apps follow the language of your device. You can change your YouTube location settings in the YouTube app.

  1. Tap your profile picture 
    How do I change my YouTube app to English?
    .
  2. Tap Settings 
    How do I change my YouTube app to English?
    .
  3. Tap General.
  4. Tap Location.
  5. Select your country.

Mobile web

YouTube on TV

How to change the language and country settings on YouTube from your mobile device

Change language for email notifications

Your emails from YouTube are delivered in the default language for your country. If you've changed your YouTube language settings, you can change your email settings to match:

  1. Go to your email settings.
  2. Scroll to "Language" to update your email notification language.

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Whether you want to use YouTube in Chinese, Spanish, French, or even Polish, the platform lets you easily swap between them.

How to Change the YouTube Language

YouTube supports dozens of languages. If you prefer using Google's popular video-sharing platform in a language other than English, you can make that happen on both its web and mobile apps.

Below, you'll find out what you must do to change the default YouTube language on Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone. You'll also learn how to change your YouTube location and why you may want to do that.

How to Change Your YouTube Language on Desktop

The YouTube web app, which you can access using any browser on Windows and macOS, features a dedicated option that allows you to change the default language on-the-fly.

You don't even have to change your YouTube language to one that you understand—changing it to a language you're interested in can even help you learn a new language.

Switching to another language in YouTube impacts user interface elements such as buttons, options, menus, etc. However, video titles and descriptions will continue to show up in their original (uploaded) language.

Here's how to get started:

  1. Open YouTube in your web browser.
  2. Click your profile picture in the top-right of the window.
  3. Select Language.

    Change YouTube Language on Desktop

  4. Pick the language that you want.
  5. Wait briefly, and YouTube should refresh and show up in the language you just selected.

How to Change Your YouTube Language on the Mobile App

Changing the default YouTube language on mobile isn't as convenient as on desktop. YouTube's Android and iOS apps reflect the system language. So, you must change the system language itself to use the app in a different language.

How to Change Your YouTube Language on Android

The steps below may not appear the same on every Android device, but here's a rundown of what the process may look like:

  1. Open the Settings app on your Android device.
  2. Scroll down and tap System.
  3. Tap Language & Input.
  4. Tap Language and pick another language. If the language you want is not available, select Add Language to add another language before switching to it.
  5. Open the YouTube app. It should now match the system language.

How to Change Your YouTube Language on iPhone

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Select Language & Region.
  4. Tap iPhone Language and pick the language that you want.
  5. Open the YouTube app, and it should show up in the system language.

How to Change Your YouTube Language on Mobile Web

If you don't want to change your Android or iOS device's language, you should look into using the mobile web version of YouTube instead. It allows you to change the language similarly to how you do it on your desktop device.

  1. Open YouTube in your mobile web browser and sign in.
  2. Tap your profile picture on the top-right of the screen.
  3. Tap Settings > Account.
  4. Select Language and pick the language that you want.

How to Change Your YouTube Location

Changing the default language on YouTube will not impact the trending videos or recommendations you receive. If you want that to change as well, preferably to the region of the language you just selected, you can do that by changing your YouTube location on desktop and mobile.

How to Change Your YouTube Location on Desktop

  1. Open YouTube, and select your profile picture from the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. Select Location.
  3. Pick the location you want.

    YouTube Change Location

How to Change Your YouTube Location on Mobile Apps

  1. Open the YouTube app on your Android or iPhone.
  2. Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner of the screen.
  3. Select Settings.
  4. Scroll down and tap Location.
  5. Pick a location and exit the Settings screen.

How to Change Your YouTube Location on Mobile Web

  1. Open YouTube in your mobile web browser.
  2. Tap your profile portrait to the top-right of the screen.
  3. Tap Settings > Accounts.
  4. Select Location and pick a location.

Become a Globe-Trotter on YouTube

Changing the default language on your desktop device is ridiculously easy, but the process is more complicated on mobile; use YouTube's mobile web app if that's an issue.

Additionally, don't forget to change your YouTube location if you want to receive recommendations and trending videos from the country or region related to your chosen language.

How do I change my YouTube app back to English?

YouTube's Android and iOS apps reflect the system language..
Open the Settings app on your Android device..
Scroll down and tap System..
Tap Language & Input. ... .
Tap Language and pick another language..

Why is my YouTube in a foreign language?

You can change these settings for YouTube at any time: Open the YouTube app on your smart TV or game console. Select Settings . Select Language to choose a different language.

How do I switch back to English?

Change the language on your Android device.
On your Android device, tap Settings ..
Tap System Languages & input. Languages. If you can't find "System," then under "Personal," tap Languages & input Languages.​.
Tap Add a language. and choose the language that you want to use..
Drag your language to the top of the list..