WordPress can run your whole site in a language other than English — menus, buttons, dates, and the emails it sends. You can even keep your own dashboard in one language while your visitors read your site in another.

## Before you start

- An account that can manage your site's settings, such as an administrator account.
- A moment to spare — WordPress downloads the translation files for you.

## Steps

### Step 1: Change your site's language

In the dashboard, find **Settings** in the left-hand menu and select **General**. Open the **Site Language** list and pick your language — some of them aren't on your site yet, and WordPress fetches those translation files for you. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and select **Save Changes**.

![Change your site's language](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTA2NzAsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--1b02f45b86ccc647fd7ecb5e4dcb3703f20723d1/block_open-general-settings.png)

### Step 2: Set a different language for just yourself

To work in one language while your visitors read another, open your own profile: select **Users**, then **Profile**. Under **Personal Options**, find the **Language** list and choose the language you want to work in.

![Set a different language for just yourself](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTA3MTUsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--7f7f7f863c3962b7d09a3fccf6d31e437fdf7fe7/block_open-your-profile.png)

### Step 3: Save your profile

Scroll to the bottom of the page and select **Update Profile**. From now on only your own dashboard changes — your site stays in the language you picked in Settings.

![Save your profile](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTA3NDYsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--8414ac44126fae5368e4ce2e93f5fe2d31d942f2/block_save-your-profile.png)

## Tips

- Your language choice changes the text WordPress itself provides. The words you typed into your own posts and pages stay exactly as you wrote them.
- Only change your own **Language** in your profile when you want a personal view. The **Site Language** under **Settings** is what your visitors see.
- Changed your mind? Go back to **Settings**, then **General**, and pick another language at any time — nothing you've written is affected.

## Summary

You've set the language for your whole site under **Settings**, then **General**, and saved it with **Save Changes**. If you also picked a language in your profile, you're now working in one language while your visitors read another.