The Intrusive Translator
Microsoft Edge, the default web browser in Windows 11, includes a built-in translation feature powered by Microsoft Translator. When you navigate to a website that is primarily written in a language different from your system’s default language (e.g., visiting a French news site while your Windows 11 is set to English), Edge might automatically translate the entire page before you even have a chance to read the original text. While this is helpful for casual browsing, it is incredibly frustrating if you are actively trying to learn that foreign language, or if you need to read the precise, original phrasing of a technical document because machine translation often introduces critical errors or awkward phrasing.
Disabling Edge Translation Prompts
To ensure you always see web content in its original, authored language and stop Windows 11 (via Microsoft Edge) from automatically translating web pages, you must disable the translation engine in the browser’s settings.
Open Microsoft Edge. Click the three horizontal dots (…) in the top-right corner of the window to open the main menu, then select Settings. In the left-hand navigation pane, click on Languages. In the main window, look for the section labeled “Translation.” You will see a toggle switch labeled Offer to translate pages that aren’t in a language I read. Click this toggle to switch it to the Off position. Edge will immediately stop interrupting your browsing with translation pop-ups and will never automatically convert foreign text. If you still want the option to translate but just want to stop the automatic behavior for a specific language, leave the main toggle on, but click the “More actions” (…) next to the specific language in your list and uncheck “Offer to translate pages in this language.”