Windows

Windows 2019 – How to add language pack?

Today I've been setting up a new server on Windows 2019. By default, I install Windows with English version even if Client works in their language such as German, Polish or Swedish. While some people install Windows in a language they desire to work with, years of experience taught me that installing English and then adding Language Pack is the best way to go. All errors, windows events, and general troubleshooting is much easier if those are in the native English language. Each version of Windows made it easier to install the language pack and have that up and running in no time. In Windows 2019 it's even more comfortable… or is it?

It's as easy as pressing Start, typing in language and using Change the language that Windows features appear in.

You get a list of languages where you can just press Add a language, chose language you want and it should appear under Preferred languages.

Now you press Options, a new page appears where you simply press Download and… nothing happens. So much for an easy way to implement a new language.

Workaround - Installing language pack Windows 2019

It seems that when Desktop Experience for Windows 2019 is enabled this option is not available (for now at least). Fortunately there's an old way of doing it.

Download language pack ISO for Windows 2019

Mount the ISO file, so that it shows up as DVD drive

Explore drive, go into <DriveLetter>:\x64\langpacks and copy required language packs to a different folder. If you don't do that it will take Windows a lot more time to install even a single language pack.

Open Start Menu, and type lpksetup.exe which should open Install or Uninstall display languages wizard.

Open Start Menu, and type lpksetup.exe which should open Install or Uninstall display languages wizard.

Point it to the directory where the language pack resides

Point it to the directory where the language pack resides

Accept the license terms and press Next

After it's done, when you visit language options again everything appears to be in order.

Hopefully, Microsoft will fix this sooner rather than later.

This post was last modified on January 2, 2019 14:50

Przemyslaw Klys

System Architect with over 14 years of experience in the IT field. Skilled, among others, in Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange and Office 365. Profoundly interested in PowerShell. Software geek.

Share
Published by
Przemyslaw Klys
Tags: windowswindows serverwindows server 2019
6 years ago

Recent Posts

Upgrade Azure Active Directory Connect fails with unexpected error

Today, I made the decision to upgrade my test environment and update the version of…

5 days ago

Mastering Active Directory Hygiene: Automating Stale Computer Cleanup with CleanupMonster

Have you ever looked at your Active Directory and wondered, "Why do I still have…

4 months ago

Active Directory Replication Summary to your Email or Microsoft Teams

Active Directory replication is a critical process that ensures the consistent and up-to-date state of…

8 months ago

Syncing Global Address List (GAL) to personal contacts and between Office 365 tenants with PowerShell

Hey there! Today, I wanted to introduce you to one of the small but excellent…

1 year ago

Active Directory Health Check using Microsoft Entra Connect Health Service

Active Directory (AD) is crucial in managing identities and resources within an organization. Ensuring its…

1 year ago

Seamless HTML Report Creation: Harness the Power of Markdown with PSWriteHTML PowerShell Module

In today's digital age, the ability to create compelling and informative HTML reports and documents…

1 year ago