As a tech company, Samsung is one of the most sought-after TV brands. With their high-quality TVs and sleek design, they are a popular choice in American households.
One thing that sets them apart from other brands is that they allow you to customize anything you want, from colors down to the typeface used on-screen text.
And the best part? You can change the language used on the on-screen menu from the default language to any other language you’re comfortable with. For example, you can switch over from English to German if your German friends come visiting.
Whether your default setting was changed by accident or because of a remote battle with your kids, you can easily change the language and lock in the text you understand.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to change the language on your Samsung TV.
How to Change the Language on a Samsung TV
Whether your new Samsung TV came in a language that you don’t speak, or your kids pushed buttons and inadvertently messed things up, don’t fret. You can easily change your Samsung TV’s language and navigate the menus with ease.
That said, the method used depends on the model of your TV.
Let’s see the steps you need for various models.
2017 Models and Later
Here’s how to change the language on your TV’s menu if you’ve got a model produced in 2017 or later:
- Press “Home” on your TV remote.
- Select “Settings” from the on-screen menu. This should open a new menu where you can adjust various settings on your TV, including the picture quality, sound, and language.
- Select “General.”
- Select “System Manager.”
- Click on “Language.” This should open a dropdown menu with different languages.
- Use the up and down arrows to scroll through the list and select the language you want.
2016 Models
For models produced in 2016 (K range), here’s how to change the menu language:
- Press “Settings” on your remote.
- Select “System” from the on-screen menu.
- Open “Expert Settings.”
- Click on “Language.”
- Scroll through the list to select your preferred language.
2015 Models
If your TV belongs in either the L or the J range, here’s how you can change the menu language:
- Press “Home” on your TV remote.
- Select “System.”
- Click on “Menu Language.”
- Select the language you want from the dropdown submenu.
2014 Models and Earlier
If you’ve got an older Samsung TV produced in 2014 or earlier (H or HU range), this is how you adjust the menu language:
- Press “Menu” on your TV remote.
- Select the “System” icon from the popup menu.
- Click on “Menu Language.”
- Scroll through the list and select your desired language.
If you’re not sure what model your TV is, you can find it by looking at the back of your TV. Alternatively, you can find it in your TV’s settings menu. To do so:
- Navigate to the settings menu using your remote.
- Click on “Support.”
- Select “About this TV.” You should see the model number or code displayed on the popup screen.
Change Language Greyed Out on Samsung TV
Sometimes when you attempt to change the language on Samsung TVs, the language setting may be greyed out, making it impossible to switch to a new language. This is a relatively common issue, especially with the older models.
If you find yourself in this situation, you’ve got two options. First, try to close all applications running in the background. That’s because some applications are known to block some menus temporarily.
If that doesn’t work, a factory reset could solve the problem.
How To Change the Keyboard Language
Samsung smart TVs come with keyboard support to help you control your set from the comfort of your couch. With it, you can adjust volume, picture resolution, search for apps, and even switch off your TV. You can also use it to browse the web or post updates on your social media handles.
But to do any of these things, your keyboard settings need to be in a language you’re comfortable with because each language comes with its own keyboard layout.
With your TV keyboard language set to English, for example, you can’t type umlauted vowels (ä, ö, ü) heavily used in the German language. Your Samsung keyboard language needs to be set to “German” to use them.
Here’s how to change the language on your Samsung smart TV keyboard:
- Press “Home” on your TV remote.
- Select “Settings.”
- Select “General” and then click on “External Device Manager.”
- Select “Input Device Manager” and click on “Keyboard Settings.”
- Click on “Keyboard language.” This should open a list of all the supported languages where you can select the one you prefer.
How To Change the Language in Netflix on a Samsung TV
Samsung’s integration with Netflix means you don’t need a PC or mobile device to stream your favorite shows or movies. However, changing your TV’s language through the settings section only changes the text used in your TV’s menus. It doesn’t change the language used on the Netflix app.
To change the text used on the Netflix app, you have to open the app itself and tweak its language settings.
Here’s how to go about it:
- Launch the Netflix app on your TV.
- Select the Netflix profile of interest.
- Navigate to the “Account” section and scroll down to “Profile & Parental Controls.”
- Select the profile for which you want to change the menu language.
- In the “Language” section, click the dropdown menu.
- Click on the “Change” button next to “Language.”
- Choose your preferred language from the list by clicking it.
- Click the “Save” button.
How To Change the Language in YouTube on a Samsung TV
A Samsung smart TV works pretty much like a computer because you can stream movies and music from YouTube. But as with Netflix, you can’t change the text used on YouTube just by tweaking your TV’s settings. You can only do so from within the YouTube app.
Here are the steps:
- Open the YouTube app and navigate to “Settings.”
- Scroll to “Language & Location.”
- Click on “Language.”
- Click on the “edit” and then select your preferred language from the dropdown list.
- Click on “Confirm Change” to save your new settings.
Navigate All Menus Like a Pro
If your TV’s settings menu is displayed in a language you don’t recognize, don’t fret. You can switch over to your preferred language in just a few steps. This will allow you to tweak other settings on your TV and lock in a more enjoyable experience.
The good thing about Samsung TVs is that no matter the language in use, the order of items that make up the menu doesn’t change. For example, suppose “System Manager” appears as the first option under the “Settings” menu when you’ve set English as your default language. In that case, it will still be the first option under that menu when using German as your default language.
This means that even if you change the menu language by mistake, you can comfortably navigate through the menus and switch back to the language you want.