Why Edge suddenly switched language on a whole office
Users in one office reported Edge and LinkedIn appearing in another language. Nobody had touched Edge. The cause was an Intune app assignment.
On this page
The ticket looked like a browser problem. Users in one regional office said Edge, and sites like LinkedIn, had started showing up in the local language instead of English. Their Edge settings hadn't changed and nobody had pushed a new browser policy.
How websites pick a language
Most sites choose a language from the Accept-Language header the browser sends. By default, Edge builds that header from the Windows language list. So if Windows gains a new language near the top of that list, websites start following it, even though nothing in the browser changed.
Finding the cause
On an affected machine, the Windows language list under Settings → Time & language → Language & region showed the regional language installed and ranked above English. That pointed away from Edge and towards whatever had installed the language.
In Intune, a language pack app had been assigned to that office's devices as Required. Required means Intune installs it automatically on every device in scope, and installing a language pack can also change the user's preferred language order.
The fix
- Change the language pack assignment from Required to Available, so users who want it can install it from Company Portal.
- Correct the language order on affected devices, or uninstall the pack where it isn't wanted.
- If English must stay first, set it explicitly in policy rather than relying on install order. The Edge setting for the browser's own language is a good extra safeguard.
Required, Available or Uninstall
Required
- Installed automatically on every device in scope
- Users can't decline
Available
- Offered in Company Portal
- Users install it if they want it
Uninstall
- Removes the app from devices in scope
- Useful for cleaning up
Checking what a browser is sending
Ask an affected user to open edge://settings/languages. The order of the list is the order sent to websites. Moving English to the top fixes the symptom on that device straight away, while you fix the assignment centrally.
Lessons for any Intune change
- Pilot user-visible changes with a small group first
- Use Available rather than Required unless everyone needs it
- Use assignment filters to target exactly the right devices
- Note who requested the change, so you can check intent when something odd appears
This post was last checked against Microsoft's documentation over six months ago. The approach should still hold, but check the linked sources for anything that has changed before you act on it.
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