Here’s how to change the language in League of Legends in the current (Riot Client) era, plus some extra tricks players still use.

Quick Scoop

  • You can change client and text language directly in the Riot Client settings on most regions.
  • For full control (including languages not normally available), players often edit a config file and add a --locale= code to the shortcut.
  • You can also tweak audio/voiceover language , but this usually requires the shortcut + locale trick, not just the in‑client menu.

Method 1: Through Riot Client (Easiest)

This is the safest and intended way, especially if you only want languages that your region officially supports.

  1. Close League if it’s open.
  2. Open the Riot Client and log out of your account.
  3. On the top right, click your profile icon.
  4. Go to Settings.
  5. Look for Riot Client Language.
  6. Pick your preferred language (e.g., English, Japanese, French, German).
  1. Save, restart the client, and launch League.

This changes the client language and usually the in‑game text to match, depending on your region’s support.

Method 2: Edit LeagueClientSettings.yaml (More Control)

If your desired language doesn’t show up in the Riot Client, many players manually edit the config file.

  1. Completely close the Riot Client (exit, don’t just minimize).
  1. Right‑click your League of Legends shortcut → “Open file location”.
  1. Go into the Riot Games → League of Legends folder.
  1. Open the config folder.
  2. Find LeagueClientSettings.yaml and open it with Notepad.

  1. Look for a line like:
    locale: "en_US"

  2. Change "en_US" to the language code you want (for example "ja_JP" for Japanese, "ko_KR" for Korean, "zh_CN" for Simplified Chinese).

  1. Save the file and close Notepad.

Players often combine this with the shortcut trick below to make the change “stick” reliably.

Method 3: Shortcut + --locale= Code (Classic Trick)

This is the long‑running community method that forces the client into any supported locale, even cross‑region ones.

  1. Make sure Riot Client and League are closed.
  2. Go to your League install folder (often C:\Riot Games\League of Legends).
  1. Right‑click LeagueClient.exe → Create shortcut.
  1. Move that shortcut to your desktop for easy access.
  1. Right‑click the shortcut → Properties.
  2. In the Target box, go to the very end of the line.
  3. Add a space, then:
    --locale=xx_XX
    Example:
    "C:\Riot Games\League of Legends\LeagueClient.exe" --locale=ja_JP for Japanese.
  1. Click Apply , then OK.
  2. Launch League using this shortcut.

Commonly mentioned codes include:

  • en_US – English (NA)
  • en_GB – English (EU)
  • ja_JP – Japanese
  • ko_KR – Korean
  • zh_CN – Chinese (Simplified)

Some posts note you may need to redo or re‑check this after patches, since updates sometimes reset locale settings.

Changing In‑Game Audio / Voiceover

If you want, say, Korean or Japanese voices but keep your client text in English, you’re not alone—this is a very common “weeb stack” request on forums.

  • Guides describe using the same shortcut + locale method to pull in different voiceover packs (for example --locale=ko_KR for Korean voices).
  • Some players also edit locale lines in:
    • C:\ProgramData\Riot Games\Metadata\league_of_legends.live.yaml
    • C:\Riot Games\League of Legends\Config\ for another locale: "en_US" line.

However:

  • People often report that it changes the whole client , not just voices, so they sometimes revert because they can’t quickly read pings or system messages in another language.
  • After big client updates, you might have to repeat these edits because files get rewritten.

Forum & “Latest” Discussion Vibes

Recent guides and 2025–2026 write‑ups still revolve around the same ideas: Riot’s own client settings for basic options, and community methods for more exotic combos.

A few recurring notes from forum discussions:

  • Players like this for learning languages (e.g., playing in Japanese while reading subtitles elsewhere).
  • Others try it briefly then go back to their native language to avoid missing crucial ping info.
  • Some posts warn that if you mess up the YAML or shortcut path, the client may fail to launch until you fix or delete the changes.

“I also asked this question like 2 days ago and I got this solution that works: edit locale: "en_US" to "ja_JP" in both config files, then use the --locale shortcut.”

Small Example Setup

Imagine you want English text but Japanese voices :

  • Try setting Riot Client language to English first.
  • Then use a desktop shortcut with:
    "C:\Riot Games\League of Legends\LeagueClient.exe" --locale=ja_JP and, if needed, adjust the locale lines in the YAML config files as described above.

If something breaks, just remove the --locale=... part or restore locale: "en_US" in your config files.

TL;DR:
Use Riot Client Settings for simple language changes, and use config +--locale= shortcut tricks if you want languages or voiceovers that your region doesn’t list by default.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.