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Samuel Thuku
Samuel Thuku

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Why Does Google Keep Changing My Language? (And How to Fix It)

#google #productivity #tutorial #web

Have you ever searched for something on your browser and suddenly Google decides you now speak a completely different language just because of where you are? 😂

Maybe you searched for a programming tutorial and got results in French.
Maybe you traveled somewhere and your browser started showing local language websites you never asked for.
Or maybe Google saw your IP address and thought:

“Ah yes, this person definitely wants everything translated.”

Meanwhile you are just trying to search in peace. 😭

The good news is that there’s a permanent fix.

Instead of letting Google guess your language and region based on your location, you can customize the Google search engine URL so your browser always forces:

  • English results
  • English interface
  • US-based search ranking
  • Minimal personalization
  • No annoying country redirects

And the best part?

It does NOT slow down your internet or increase latency.

The Permanent Fix

We are going to create a custom Google search engine URL.

Use this URL:

https://www.google.com/ncr/search?q=%s&hl=en&gl=us&lr=lang_en&pws=0
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What each part means:

hl=en
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Forces Google interface language to English.

gl=us
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Makes Google prioritize US-style search results.

lr=lang_en
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Prioritizes English-language pages only.

pws=0
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Reduces personalized search results.

ncr
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Means “No Country Redirect.”
Stops Google from redirecting you to country specific domains like:

  • google.fr
  • google.de
  • google.co.ke

Step-by-Step Setup Guide

Chrome

Open:

chrome://settings/searchEngines
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Click:

Add
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Then enter:

Search Engine:
Google English
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Shortcut:
g
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URL:
https://www.google.com/ncr/search?q=%s&hl=en&gl=us&lr=lang_en&pws=0
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Now click:

Save
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Then click the 3 dots beside the new search engine and choose:

Make Default
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Done ✅

Microsoft Edge

Open:

edge://settings/searchEngines
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Click:

Add
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Enter:

Search Engine:
Google English
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Shortcut:
g
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URL:
https://www.google.com/ncr/search?q=%s&hl=en&gl=us&lr=lang_en&pws=0
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Save it and set it as default.

Done ✅

Firefox

Open:

about:preferences#search
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Firefox handles this a little differently.

Create a new bookmark with this URL:

https://www.google.com/ncr/search?q=%s&hl=en&gl=us&lr=lang_en&pws=0
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Then assign a keyword like:

g
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Now whenever you type:

g your search here
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Firefox will use your custom Google setup.

Done ✅

Bonus Tip: Disable Browser Location Access

Even after changing the search URL, some browsers still share your location.

You can disable that too.

Chrome / Edge

Open:

chrome://settings/content/location
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or:

edge://settings/content/location
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Then choose:

Don't allow sites to see your location
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Done ✅

Final Result

After this setup:

  • Google stops changing languages randomly
  • Search results stay in English
  • Country redirects disappear
  • Results become more consistent
  • Your browser behaves the same no matter where you travel

No VPN required.
No extensions required.
No slowdown.

Just clean, predictable Google searches.

About the Author

Written by Samuel Thuku, a software engineer who enjoys solving annoying everyday tech problems, automating things that should have worked properly in the first place, and making the internet a little less chaotic one fix at a time. 😄

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