How to Change the Language in Firefox

Wish to use Firefox in Spanish and read the web in Amharic? Find out here how to change languages and language settings in Firefox. You can pick the language for the interface, set language preferences for the web, and add new languages to Firefox.

First, Metal and Fungi

Important parts of the machinery that lets Firefox turn the instructions behind web pages into the web pages you can see, touch, tap and click are written in a young programming language called Rust.

Now, even when a name is fresh and we know who coined it and we can ask the person, etymology is what you’d expect: murky.

“keep making up different explanations”
“Also big metallic things”
“a nice substring of ‘robust’”

Mostly, though, Rust is named for the robust and enthralling fungi that plague so many a gardener.

Either way, let’s look at more languages in Firefox, this time not for programming but everyday communication:

How to Change the Language in Firefox for Interface and Content

Changing the Interface Language and the Preferred Language for Web Content on Firefox (Desktop)

Add a Language to Firefox

To add a new language for the Firefox interface:

1. Go to the language settings in Firefox options. (See above.)
2. Click Set Alternatives… under Language.
3. Now click Select a language to add….
4. Select Search for more languages… if you see no languages listed (or not the one you seek).
5. Click Select a language to add… again.
6. Choose the language you want to add for Firefox.
   Finding languages: Start typing a language name (e.g., Tagalong to jump to it in the list. You can only search the list by language name.
7. Click Add.
   A new interface default: Firefox will automatically make the newly added language the interface default. Click Move Down with the language highlighted the lower its priority and keep the current default language.
   Default for content: The language on top of the list is also the preferred language for web content.
   
8. Click OK.
9. After you have checked no open tabs hold unsaved data (or, gasp, unpurchased items), click Apply and Restart.

Add Fallback Langauges for Web Content

To add more languages for Firefox to fall back on for web content (when a site is not available in a language, Firefox will try the next one down the list):

1. Go to the Firefox language settings. (See above.)
2. Click Choose… for Choose your preferred language for displaying pages.
3. From the Select a language to add… drop-down menu, select the language you want to add.
4. Click Add.
5. Optional: Use the Move Down button to lower the preference for the newly added language.
   From the top: Firefox will try languages from top to bottom.
   Fallback: Add language descriptors that are not as specific as fallbacks below more country-specific variants, for example.
6. Click OK.

How to Change the Firefox App and Content Language

Firefox for iOS

To change the language used for Firefox on iOS:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Select Firefox.
3. Now tap Language.
4. Pick the desired language
   Back to default: Select the language labelled Default to revert to the iOS default language.
5. Close the Settings app.

This will change the language both for the Firefox for iOS interface and the language preference for websites.

Firefox for Android

To change the language in Firefox for Android:

1. Tap the three-dots menu in Firefox for Android.
2. Select Settings from the menu that has appeared.
3. Now choose Language.
4. Pick the language you want to use for the Firefox interface and web site content.
   Back to default: Choose Follow device language to revert to your device’s default language.

How to Change the Language in Firefox for Interface and Content: FAQ

Will Firefox language settings synchronize?

No. Even with options synchronization enabled, Firefox will not synchronize your choice of interface language.

(Firefox language settings tested with Firefox 115–121; updated January 2024)