Joomla tutorials by Joomlaboratory

5. Step 3: Enable the Language Filter plugin

Go to System → Manage → Plugins and search for language. Two system plugins matter:

• System - Language Filter is required. It is the switch that makes the site multilingual.
• System - Language Code is optional. It changes the language code Joomla prints in the page's HTML and hreflang tags, for example from el-gr to el. Leave it off unless you have a reason.

Open System - Language Filter, set Status to Enabled and review the options:

• Language Selection for new Visitors: Site Language sends everyone to the default language. Browser Settings uses the visitor's browser language when you have it.
• Automatic Language Change: when a logged-in user switches language, their account's site language is updated too.
• Item Associations: keep this on. Without it, the switcher always goes to the home page of the other language.
• Add Alternate Meta Tags and Add x-default Meta Tag: output the hreflang links that tell search engines which pages are translations of each other.
• Remove URL Language Code: removes the prefix for the default language only (/about-us instead of /en/about-us). Decide this before launch. Changing it later changes every URL of that language.
• Cookie Lifetime: how long the chosen language is remembered (session or one year). The language cookie is functional, but mention it in your cookie policy.