What to do when all your Microsoft Bing search results are in Mandarin/other variations of languages

Question

For the past few days my Microsoft Bing search results have been in different languages. When I shut down my computer it allows my results to come up in English again but only for a short period of time. My search settings are all sent to English, I've turned on my VPN and made sure my security services were up to date, I signed out of all my devices, I've ran multiple scans and there are no viruses detected, I've cleared my cache and website cookies data, and I've reset all my search settings. I have no idea what the problem is and if I'm hacked or not. Looking for some guidance on my next steps.

Answer 1

Dear @Meadow Lundy,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

We apologize for any inconvenience you may encounter when using our services/ products. Based on your description, kindly try these following steps:

Test in a clean session (isolates cookies/extensions)

• Open InPrivate/Incognito.
• Go to Bing and search a few times.

If InPrivate stays English > the cause is usually cookies, extensions, or signed-in profile settings.

If InPrivate still flips to Mandarin > it is more likely network/IP/VPN/proxy or device-wide.

Set Bing back to English via Bing’s own settings

Go to Bing’s Settings page and explicitly set:

• Country/region
• Display language
• Search results languages (set “I prefer results in English”)

Bing’s settings page also warns that if cookies are cleared, you may need to set these again.

Align Edge language signals

Even if Bing settings look correct, Edge can still send language preferences to websites.

• In Microsoft Edge > Settings > select Languages > add English (if missing), move English to the top, and remove languages you do not want influencing sites.

Align Windows “Language & region”

• Go to Settings > Time & language > Language & region
• Ensure English is present and prioritized the way you expect.

I sincerely hope you understand that the initial steps I suggested may not have completely fixed the issue, as there may still be underlying causes that have not yet been identified. I am here to work closely with you, troubleshoot effectively, and explore every possible solution to ensure the best possible outcome.

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