Install or change a display language
You can change the language Windows uses to display text in wizards, dialog boxes, menus, and other items in the user interface. Some display languages are installed by default, while others require you to install additional language files.
There are two types of language files:
Windows 7 Language Interface Packs (LIPs).* Windows 7 LIPs provide a translated version of the most widely used areas of the user interface. LIPs are freely available to download. For more information, including a list of languages available, go to the Microsoft Local Language Program website.
Windows 7 language packs.* Windows 7 language packs provide a translated version of most of the user interface.
Before you can install a display language, you need access to the language files. These files can be found on your computer, a computer in your network, or your Windows DVD. They can also be downloaded from the web. For more information about the differences between language packs and Language Interface Packs, and how to get them, see How do I get additional display languages?
Note
Language packs are available in Windows 7 Ultimate through Windows Update as optional updates. They aren't installed automatically. If you're using Windows 7 Enterprise, contact your system administrator for information about installing additional languages.
To install a display language
To install a Language Interface Pack (LIP), double-click the file to open the setup program. To install a language pack, follow these steps:
Click to open Region and Language.
Click the Keyboards and Languages tab.
Under Display language, click Install/uninstall languages, and then follow the steps. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Note
The Display language section will be visible only if you have already installed a Language Interface Pack or if your edition of Windows supports a language pack. Language packs are available only in Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Enterprise.
To change your display language
When you change the display language, the text in menus and dialog boxes for some programs might not be in the language that you want. This happens because the program might not support Unicode. For more information about changing the text in menus and dialog boxes for programs that don't support Unicode, see Change the system locale.
If you want to set the display language for multiple users or for the Welcome screen, see Apply regional and language settings to reserved accounts.
Click to open Region and Language.
Click the Keyboards and Languages tab.
Under Display language, choose a language from the list, and then click OK.
Note
If you don't see the list of display languages, you need to install additional language files.
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