Change Steam's language in settings, not in Windows
Steam has its own language setting separate from your operating system. Even if Windows or Mac is set to English, you can run Steam in French, German, Russian, or any of the 30+ languages Steam supports. The setting lives in Steam's own preferences, not in your computer's control panel.
You change it the same way on Windows and Mac: open Steam, go to Settings, find the Language option, pick what you want, and restart Steam. The whole process takes under a minute.
Key Takeaways
- Steam's language setting is independent of your Windows or Mac language — changing one does not change the other.
- You access the language option through Steam Settings under the Interface tab, not through your operating system.
- Steam must fully restart after you change the language; closing and reopening the process completes the change.
- Your game library, friends list, and account settings stay the same when you switch Steam's display language.
- Some games have their own separate language settings that do not follow Steam's language choice.
Steps to change Steam's language on Windows or Mac
Open the Steam process. In the top-left corner, click Steam (on Mac) or look for the menu bar (on Windows, it may be hidden until you right-click the window). Select Settings from the dropdown.
In the Settings window, click the Interface tab on the left side. Look for the Language dropdown menu. Click it and select the language you want from the list. Steam shows both the English name and the native name for each language — for example, "Français (French)" or "Deutsch (German)".
Click OK at the bottom of the Settings window. Steam will ask you to restart the process to explore the change. Close Steam completely and reopen it. When it launches, the entire interface — menus, buttons, store pages, library labels — will be in your chosen language.
What changes and what stays the same
Steam's language setting affects only the interface: the words you see in menus, buttons, and labels. Your account, friends list, game library, and purchase history do not change. You can switch languages as many times as you want without affecting anything in your account.
Individual games have their own language settings, separate from Steam's interface language. A game may support 10 languages, but Steam itself may support 30. If you set Steam to Russian but a game only supports English and French, the game will still launch in one of those two languages. Check a game's store page under "Supported Languages" to see what it offers.
If the language does not appear in the list
Steam's language list includes the major languages and many regional variants, but not every language in the world. If you do not see your language in the dropdown, it means Steam does not currently support it. The list includes English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, Vietnamese, and others, but the full set changes over time.
If a language you expect to see is missing, check Steam's official system requirements or language support page to confirm whether it is available. You cannot add languages that Steam does not support through settings or downloads.
Switching back to English or another language
Return to Steam > Settings > Interface and select a different language from the dropdown. Restart Steam. There is no limit to how many times you can switch, and no setting to "reset" — you straightforward pick a new language each time.
If you want to match Steam's language to your Windows or Mac language, you can set Steam to whatever language your operating system uses. But they do not sync automatically, so if you change your computer's language later, Steam will stay in whatever language you last set it to.
Troubleshooting language changes that do not stick
If you change the language but Steam still shows the old language after restart, make sure you fully closed Steam before reopening it. Check the system tray or Activity Monitor (on Mac) to confirm no Steam process is still running in the background. Then reopen Steam.
If Steam still shows the wrong language, try changing it again and wait a few seconds after clicking OK before closing the process. Some systems need a moment to write the setting to disk. If the problem persists, restart your computer entirely and then change the language again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does changing Steam's language change the language of my games?
No. Steam's interface language and each game's language are separate settings. A game respects its own language preference, which you usually set in the game's own settings menu or launcher. Changing Steam's language to French will not make an English-only game display in French.
Will changing Steam's language affect my account or purchases?
No. Your account, library, friends, and purchase history remain exactly the same. Language is purely a display setting. You can switch back and forth as many times as you want without any consequence.
Can I set different languages for Steam on different computers?
Yes. Each computer has its own Steam installation with its own settings. You can log into the same account on two computers and set Steam to different languages on each one. The setting is stored locally on that computer, not in your account.
What if Steam is in a language I cannot read?
Open Steam and go to Settings (the gear icon is usually in the same place in every language). Click the Interface tab, then the Language dropdown, and select English or another language you recognize. Restart Steam. If you cannot find Settings, look for the word that looks like a gear icon in the top menu.
Does Steam support right-to-left languages like Arabic or Hebrew?
Steam supports Arabic, but support for right-to-left text display varies depending on your operating system and Steam version. Set the language to Arabic in Settings and restart Steam. If the text does not display correctly, check Steam's system requirements or support documentation for your region.