Windows 11's lock screen changes language on its own, and users are furious

Microsoft recently debuted a new lock screen experience on both Windows 11 and Windows 10, that showcases a detailed weather forecast to users without having to log into Windows. However, there is no good lock screen experience without a bad lock screen experience, right?

It seems many Windows users, (Windows 10, and Windows 11 users, alike) are experiencing a weird, worrying, and frustrating bug that has Windows’ lock screen changing languages on its own.

Windows users on Reddit and official Microsoft forums have posted screenshots and images of their lock screen displaying text in languages such as Chinese, Swedish, Norwegian, and so on, leading many to believe their devices might be the target of malware.

Windows 11 is showing me messages in Chinese on the lock screen. Is this malware?
byu/Dismal-Square-613 inWindowsHelp

Some of these experiences happen when the Windows Spotlight is on, as noted by some users:

For some reason I have Norwegian displayed on the lock screen when using Windows Spotlight. I want to keep using Windows Spotlight, so the advice to switch this feature off doesn’t work for me.

Windows user

While there are users who have run into this issue without turning Windows Spotlight off:

Help! My windows lockscreen is in Chinese! My lockscreen wallpaper on my laptop, quickly changed to Chinese. I tried going to control panel>Region>administrative. But the only language I have is English. My bing is also set in English.

Windows user

Windows 11 and Windows 10’s lock screen showing text in other language: What you need to know

Firstly, this shouldn’t be malware, especially if it started recently, and you didn’t visit or download any suspicious site or file on your Windows device. It seems, according to our troubleshooting expert, that the latest Windows updates to both Windows 10, and Windows 11 might actually be causing this annoying issue.

Secondly, the issue is widespread, as you can see above, and Windows users are met with a lock screen that displays text in various languages, from Chinese, to Swedish, and so on. This leads us to think the latest Windows updates are the culprit behind it.

Thirdly, until Microsoft acknowledges the issue, there are ways to fix this issue, and our comprehensive guide should be enough to get you back on track with your selected Windows language.

But if the Redmond-based tech giant is to release a fix for this annoying issue, then it will most likely be resolved with the February Patch Tuesday updates.

Until then, though, if you encounter this issue on your Windows device, make sure to follow our guide on how to swiftly fix it.