How to change Ledger language settings? (On-Device Menu)

On-Device Language Selection Process

1. Power on the Ledger device by pressing both buttons simultaneously until the welcome screen appears.

2. Navigate to the Settings menu using the left and right buttons — scroll down until the gear icon is highlighted.

3. Press both buttons to enter Settings, then scroll to the Language option and confirm with a dual-button press.

4. Browse the available language list: en-US, zh-CN, zh-TW, fr-FR, de-DE, es-ES, and others depending on firmware version.

5. Select zh-CN for Simplified Chinese and confirm with both buttons — the interface will instantly reload in Chinese characters.

Firmware Version Dependency

1. Devices running firmware v2.50 or higher natively support zh-CN as an on-device display language without requiring external app intervention.

2. Older firmware versions (v1.6x or below) only render English on the device screen regardless of Ledger Live language settings.

3. Firmware updates must be performed via Ledger Live desktop application — the device itself does not fetch updates over USB autonomously.

4. During update, the device screen displays progress bars and status messages exclusively in English, even if zh-CN is set as active language.

5. After successful update completion, the previously selected zh-CN setting persists and resumes rendering all menu items, warnings, and confirmation prompts in Chinese.

Secure Element Display Limitations

1. The Secure Element chip inside Ledger devices renders text using a fixed glyph set — Chinese characters are embedded only in firmware builds compiled with zh-CN locale support.

2. Factory images shipped to mainland China distributors include zh-CN as default language, while global retail units ship with en-US preselected.

3. Attempting to force zh-CN on a device lacking the corresponding font assets results in blank boxes or Latin transliterations instead of ideographs.

4. No user-modifiable configuration file exists on-device to inject missing language packs — all localization data resides in signed firmware binaries.

5. Language switching does not affect cryptographic operations: signing screens, address verification dialogs, and transaction hashes remain visually identical across all language modes.

Ledger Live Synchronization Behavior

1. Ledger Live desktop or mobile app operates independently from on-device language — its UI language is controlled solely through Settings > General > Language within the app.

2. Device screen language and Ledger Live language can differ: one may show Chinese menus while the desktop app displays English labels and tooltips.

3. Transaction confirmation screens on-device always mirror the device’s native language setting — no dynamic translation occurs during signature requests.

4. Error messages triggered by incorrect PIN entry or failed app launches appear in the device’s selected language, not the host system locale.

5. Recovery phrase entry flow remains strictly alphanumeric in all languages — Chinese input methods are disabled during seed restoration to prevent encoding inconsistencies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does changing the device language affect the recovery phrase display?A: No. During setup or restore, the 24-word recovery phrase is always shown in English, regardless of selected interface language.

Q: Can I switch back to English after selecting zh-CN?A: Yes. Re-enter Settings > Language and choose en-US; the change applies immediately without reboot.

Q: Why does my Ledger Nano S show garbled characters after selecting zh-CN?A: This indicates firmware predating v2.32. Upgrade via Ledger Live to enable full Chinese glyph support.

Q: Is the PIN entry screen localized?A: No. PIN input always uses numeric keypad layout with English numerals; no language-specific symbols appear.