The Language Tracking Feature
Windows 10 includes a privacy setting labelled “Let websites provide locally relevant content by accessing my language list.” When this feature is active, Windows allows Microsoft Edge (and potentially other integrated web browsers) to access your operating system’s configured language preferences. When you visit a website, the browser automatically sends these language settings in the HTTP request headers. The website can then use this data to automatically redirect you to a specific regional version of their site or translate the content before the page even finishes loading.
While this sounds convenient—saving you from having to manually select your language on every new international website you visit—it is also a form of tracking. It gives websites an extra data point about your demographic profile without your explicit permission. Furthermore, if you are a language learner or developer who intentionally navigates to foreign websites, having the site constantly force you back to your native language based on your Windows settings can be incredibly frustrating. If you prefer to manually choose your language on a per-site basis and want to limit the data your OS shares with the web, you should disable this setting.
How to Turn Off Website Language Access
You can prevent websites from accessing your Windows language list via the Privacy settings.
- Click the Start button and select the Settings gear icon (or press
Win + I). - Click on the Privacy category.
- Ensure you are on the General tab in the left-hand menu.
- Look in the right-hand pane for the toggle switch labelled Let websites provide locally relevant content by accessing my language list.
- Click the toggle switch to turn it Off.
From now on, Windows will no longer broadcast your local language settings to websites. You may occasionally have to manually click a “Translate” or “Select Region” button on international sites, but your privacy will be slightly improved.