Google in the Wrong Language or Country? How to Fix It

Quick answer: If Google shows the wrong language or country, open google.com/preferences and go to Other settings > Language and region. Then set Display language to your language, and change Results region from “Current Region” to your country. If the problem keeps coming back, turn off your VPN and check your Google account language at myaccount.google.com/language.

You open Google and the homepage is suddenly in German. Or the results are full of shops in another country, and the news is from a place you’ve never been. Don’t worry, nothing is wrong with your computer. Google guesses where you are and which language you speak, and one of its clues is pointing the wrong way.

Why is Google showing the wrong language or country?

Google looks at several signals, and any one of them can throw it off:

A VPN or proxy. This is the most common cause. For example, if your VPN connects through a server in the Netherlands, Google assumes you’re in the Netherlands.
Your IP address. Even without a VPN, some internet providers use addresses registered in another city or country. Mobile data and satellite internet often cause this.
Google Search settings. A language or region setting saved in your Google account or in a cookie.
Your Google account language. This sets the language for every Google service, including Search.
Chrome’s preferred languages. Chrome tells every website which languages you prefer. So if a foreign language is at the top of that list, sites like Google may use it.
A country-specific Google site. Visiting google.de or google.fr, for instance, can tilt results toward that country.

The fixes below start with the quickest and end with the most thorough.

What do you need before you start?

Chrome on any device.
Ideally, sign in to your Google account in Chrome. That way your search settings are saved to your account, not just to one browser’s cookies.
If you can’t read the current language, use the direct links in this guide. The settings pages also keep the same icons and layout in every language.

How do I fix Google’s wrong language in Search settings?

Go to google.com, click Settings at the bottom right of the homepage, then click Search settings. Or go straight to google.com/preferences.
In the left sidebar, click Other settings.
Under Language, click Language and region.
Click Display language and choose the language you want for Google’s buttons and menus.
If your results are also in the wrong language, click Results language filter and choose your language there too.

In Google Search settings, open Other settings, then Language and region.

Can’t read the page at all? Add ?hl=en to the end of any Google address, for example google.com/?hl=en. This loads the page in English for now, so you can then change the setting properly.

How do I change the country for Google search results?

Open google.com/preferences.
Click Other settings, then Language and region.
Click Results region. By default it says Current Region, which means Google is guessing from your location.
Pick your country from the list. Google saves the change automatically.

Set Display language for Google’s menus, and change Results region from “Current Region” to your country.

Choosing a region replaces Google’s guess based on your IP address. However, it won’t change every local result, because Maps and “near me” searches still use your detected location. Still, it fixes most cases of shops and news from the wrong country.

Could my VPN be causing this?

Very likely, if you use one. To test it, turn off the VPN, close and reopen Chrome, and search again. If the language and country go back to normal, the VPN was the cause.

If you want to keep using the VPN, you have two options. First, you can connect to a server in your own country. Alternatively, you can set your language and Results region by hand (the two steps above), so Google stops guessing. Some VPNs also offer “split tunneling,” which lets Chrome bypass the VPN.

The same mix-up can also show prices in the wrong currency. We cover that in Google Showing the Wrong Currency? How to Fix It in Chrome.

How do I fix my Google account language?

If Gmail, YouTube and Search are all in the wrong language, your account language is the problem:

Go to myaccount.google.com/language.
Under Preferred language, click the pencil icon.
Choose your language and click Save.
Optionally, add other languages you understand under Other languages. As a result, Google won’t offer to translate pages in those languages.

How do I check Chrome’s own language settings?

Chrome sends your list of preferred languages to every website. So if someone else used your computer, or you added a language while traveling, the list may be in the wrong order.

Open chrome://settings/languages.
Under Preferred languages, make sure your language is at the top. If it isn’t, click the three-dot menu next to it and choose Move to the top.
Remove any languages you don’t read.

To change the language of Chrome’s own menus as well, see How to Change Google Chrome Language.

Why does the setting keep going back?

If you’re not signed in to Google, your search settings live in a cookie. Clearing cookies, using Incognito mode or switching browsers erases them. So sign in, then save the settings again to tie them to your account.

Also check your bookmarks and Chrome’s search engine. For example, your Google bookmark might point to a country site like google.co.uk with a language code in the address. If so, change it to google.com. You can review your search engine at Settings > Search engine > Manage search engines and site search.

How do I fix this on Android or iPhone?

In Chrome or Safari: visit google.com/preferences and change the language and Results region the same way as on a computer.
In the Google app: tap your profile picture, then Settings > Language & region. Then set both the search language and the results region.
Check your phone’s language in its system settings, because the Google app follows it by default.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Google think I’m in another country without a VPN?

Your internet provider’s IP address may be registered somewhere else. This is common with mobile data, satellite internet and some office networks. Setting the Results region by hand overrides it for search results.

Does changing the region change my location in Google Maps?

No. Maps and “near me” results use your device or detected location, not the Results region setting. So if local results are wrong, allow Google to access your location in Chrome.

Can I search in another language without changing my settings?

Yes. On the results page, open Tools and set the language filter. Alternatively, add &hl=xx to the address for a one-off search, where xx is a language code such as fr or es.

Why is only the Google homepage in the wrong language?

That usually points to a cookie setting or a bookmark for a country site. To fix it, sign in, change the language at google.com/preferences, and update the bookmark to google.com.