How to Change the Language on a Mac

Switching the Primary Display Language in macOS

Whether you are trying to learn a new language by immersing yourself in it digitally, or you have recently purchased a second-hand MacBook from a different country and need to switch the interface back to your native tongue, macOS makes it incredibly easy to change your system language.

Unlike some older operating systems that required you to download completely separate installation files just to change the text on the screen, Apple builds dozens of language packs directly into every version of macOS. You can switch your entire computer—including the menu bar, system settings, and built-in apps like Safari and Mail—from English to Spanish, French, Japanese, or almost any other language with just a few clicks.

The process is straightforward, though it does require a quick system restart for the changes to fully take effect across all your applications.

How to Change Your System Language

This method changes the “Primary” language. macOS will attempt to display every single piece of text on your screen in this language.

1. Click the Apple menu icon (the small Apple logo) in the very top left corner of your screen.
2. Select System Settings from the drop-down menu. (If you are running macOS Monterey or older, this will be called “System Preferences”).
3. In the left-hand sidebar, click on General.
4. On the right side of the window, click on Language & Region.
5. Look for the section titled “Preferred Languages” at the very top. The language currently at the top of this list is your primary language.
6. To add a new language, click the small + (Plus) button located directly underneath the list.
7. A new window will appear with a long list of available languages. You can scroll through the list or use the search bar at the top to find the specific language you want.
8. Select your desired language and click Add.
9. A pop-up window will appear asking, “Would you like to use [New Language] as your primary language?” Click the blue button confirming you want to Use [New Language].

Your Mac will immediately prompt you to restart the computer. While some menus might change instantly, you must Restart Now to ensure all your applications properly update their interfaces.

How the “Preferred Languages” List Works

You might notice that the “Preferred Languages” box is a list, not just a single selection. This hierarchy is very important.

macOS reads this list from top to bottom. If your primary language (the one at the very top) is set to French, your Mac will try to display everything in French. However, if you download a third-party app from the internet that was only programmed in English and German, macOS cannot magically translate it into French.

Instead, macOS will look at the second language on your Preferred Languages list. If the second language is English, it will display that specific app in English, while keeping the rest of your computer in French. You can click and drag the languages in this list to reorder them and change this fallback hierarchy.

Changing the Language for One Specific App

What if you want your entire Mac to remain in English, but you are taking a Spanish class and want Microsoft Word to operate entirely in Spanish for practice? You do not have to change your whole system.

1. Go back to System Settings > General > Language & Region.
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the Applications section.
3. Click the + (Plus) button.
4. In the pop-up window, choose the specific app you want to change from the “Application” drop-down menu.
5. Choose your desired language from the “Language” drop-down menu.
6. Click Add.

The next time you open that specific app, it will appear in the new language, while the rest of your Mac remains completely unaffected.