Users of YouTube can choose the language in which the site or app itself is displayed. While it usually settles on a default setting based on your location, you are still free to modify it as you see fit.
We will cover the steps needed to change the language on YouTube depending on your current platform in this article.
Table of Contents
How to Change the Language on YouTube from a Windows 10, Mac, or Chromebook PC
Changing the language on a computer remains the same regardless of whether you use Windows, macOS, or Chrome OS. You need a browser to access YouTube on a computer, and the settings are not platform-dependent. You can change your YouTube language on a computer by following these steps:
- Log in to your YouTube account.
- You can access your account by clicking the icon. Your profile picture should be located in the upper right corner.
- Click on Language at the bottom of the page. You should choose the selection with the Chinese character and a capital A if you cannot currently understand the menu selections.
- Choose the language you want from the list. There is a native script for each language. You can choose a language from the list as long as you know what language you want to switch to.
- The language you selected will now be automatically changed. Refresh the screen if necessary by clicking on the Home button. The language change should apply to the whole YouTube site, but videos will remain in their original languages. You will need to clear your internet browser’s cache and cookies if you wish to apply the change to videos as well. The process varies depending on the browser you’re using.
How to Change the Language on YouTube from an Android Device
If you are using an Android device to access YouTube, there are a few ways you can change the language settings depending on how you open YouTube. Below are the steps for each:
Changing the language settings in the YouTube app.
If you are using the YouTube mobile app, you can change the default language indirectly by changing the location settings. In order to accomplish this,
- Log in to your YouTube app on your mobile device.
- You can access your profile by tapping the icon. The icon should be located in the upper right corner of the screen.
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu. It should be the selection beside the Gear icon if you cannot understand the language due to a different script.
- Select General from the menu. The first option on the menu should be this.
- Tap on Location at the bottom of the page. The third to last selection should be this one. The right side does not have a toggle button.
- The default location will be set to the name of the country you choose.
- It is necessary to change the language settings directly in the phone settings if you want to change the language directly. Most Android devices will have these under Settings, then under System, although this may vary depending on your phone model.
Using the Mobile Web browser
The language of YouTube will automatically change when you use a mobile web browser. You can change this by following these steps:
- Your phone’s web browser should open YouTube mobile.
- Select Menu from the menu. On the upper right corner of the screen, there should be three vertical dots.
- Select Settings from the menu. The second to last selection on the dropdown menu should be this.
- Tap on Languages after scrolling down. The fourth to last selection should be this one. A percentage symbol should appear right above the Lite mode menu.
- You should see a list of languages ranked by preference in the resulting window. By tapping on the three dots icon to the right of each language, you can move it up or down the ranking. Adding a new language is as simple as tapping on Add language. There should be a plus icon to the left of this selection. The list of languages can be sorted by language. The languages are listed in English and their original scripts.
- After setting a language, tap Home or navigate away from this screen.
How to Change the Language on YouTube from an iPhone
The YouTube app is not platform-dependent, so changing the settings doesn’t differ depending on the mobile platform. Refer to the steps above for Android if you’re using an iPhone. Similarities exist between them.
How to Change the Language on YouTube from a Firestick
YouTube can be accessed via the YouTube App or a web browser on the Amazon Firestick similarly to the mobile version. To watch YouTube on your Firestick using a web browser, follow the steps as described above for Windows, Mac, and Chromebooks. Follow these steps if you are using YouTube for TV:
- Launch the YouTube for TV app. Please sign in if you haven’t already.
- Open Settings by scrolling down and clicking the gear icon.
- Select Language from the drop-down menu.
- You should see a Chinese character and an A on your screen. Click Edit and choose the language you wish to set as the default.
- Confirm the change by clicking on Confirm.
To change the language of the videos, you must change the Firestick’s language settings. Here are the steps to follow:
- Choose Settings from your Firestick’s Home screen. On the top menu, it should be the last option.
- Select Preferences. The option with lines and circles should be available.
- Select Language, which should be the second to last option after scrolling down.
- Choose the language you want to use from the list.
- This screen can be navigated out of.
How to Change the Language on YouTube from an Apple TV
Changing the language on an Apple TV is similar to changing the language on a Firestick. You can watch YouTube through the web browser by following the steps in the computer platform version. Follow the steps given in the Firestick platform if you’re using the YouTube for TV app. The language of the videos can be changed directly on your Apple TV settings. To do this, follow these steps:
- Go to your Apple TV’s home screen.
- You can select Settings by clicking on the gear icon.
- Choose General, it will be the first option.
- Scroll down until you reach the Language and Region tab. Tabs are separated by labels. The fourth option on the menu is Language and Region. You’ll find it right below the Keyboard settings.
- Choose a language for Apple TV. The Language and Region tab should have this option as the first option.
- From the list of languages, select the one you prefer.
- Select Change Language from the screen that appears.
- This screen can now be navigated away from.
How to Change the Language on YouTube from a Roku Streaming Device or Stick
With a Roku device, you will use the same steps as with a Firestick or Apple TV. With a web browser or YouTube TV app, you will follow the steps as before. Follow these instructions to change the language on the Roku itself:
- Choose Settings from the side menu on your Roku Homepage.
- Click the right arrow on the remote to open the System menu by scrolling down to System.
- On the remote, scroll down until you reach Language and click on the right arrow.
- To change your language, go to Captions preferred language.
- Choose the language you wish to change from the selection.
- On the Roku remote, press OK.
- This menu can now be navigated away from.
Changing Subtitles Language
Follow these steps if you want to change the language for Captions or Subtitles instead of the site language:
You can use the web browser version on computers or smart TVs
- Click on a video to watch it.
- Click on the settings menu at the bottom right of the video. The gear icon should appear.
- Select Subtitles/CC from the menu. The second to last option should be selected.
- You can select a language from the next menu. Click on Auto Generate, then click on Subtitles/CC again if you don’t see the language you want. Select Auto Translate.
- Select the language in which subtitles should appear.
You can use YouTube for Mobile if you have it installed
- Choose a video from the YouTube app.
- The video should be paused.
- Tap the Menu button. On the upper right corner of the screen, there should be three vertical dots.
- You will then be able to see captions.
- Please select your preferred language.
It is important to note that not all videos have captions, and even then, they are not always available in all languages. Subtitles will be grayed out or unclickable if a video does not have captions.
A Handy Piece of Info
It is handy to know how to change the language on YouTube, no matter what platform you are using. If you want to change the language of your YouTube page or if you accidentally switched your default language.
Are there any other ways to change the language on YouTube? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
FAQs
You can always turn on subtitles if you have trouble understanding the language while watching videos on YouTube. To change the subtitles language, follow these steps:
1. Click on a video to watch it.
2. Click on the settings menu at the bottom right of the video.
3. On the menu, select Subtitles/CC, which is the second option from the bottom.
4. The next menu will display the available languages. Click on Auto Generate and then
5. Subtitles/CC again if you do not see the language you want. Select Auto Translate.
6. Select the language in which you want subtitles to appear.
Here are the steps you can follow to access YouTube Language on the web:
1. You can open YouTube in your browser by clicking here.
2. In the top-right corner, click on your profile.
3. Choose your preferred language from the Language menu.
If the language of your uploaded video has been incorrectly set, you can easily change it.
1. Log in to YouTube Studio.
2. From the left menu, select Content.
3. Click on a video’s thumbnail and then click show more at the bottom of the page.
4. From the Video language section, select the language you want to set for the video.