Language Switcher — Dropdown, List, or Flag Selector
Every multilingual WordPress site needs a way for visitors to switch languages. Lang Forge ships three styles of language switcher, usable as a widget, a shortcode, or a menu item, and they all work on any theme without template edits.
Three styles
1. Dropdown
A compact <select> element showing the current language and a list of alternatives. Best for headers where space is tight, or for sites with more than five languages.
2. Horizontal or vertical list
A clean list of language names with the current language highlighted. Best for footers, sidebars, and any place where you want visitors to see all available options at a glance.
3. Flag selector
Country flags in a row or column, with or without language names next to them. Best for visual impact in a header. Flags are SVG assets and scale cleanly on any display.
All three styles share the same configuration options and respect the current page’s translations — a language only appears in the switcher if a translation exists for the current post.
Ways to place the switcher
As a widget
Drag the Lang Forge Language Switcher widget into any sidebar or widget area. Configure style, show/hide flags, show/hide language names. Done.
As a shortcode
Use [lf_language_switcher] anywhere shortcodes are supported — post content, widgets, page builder text blocks, theme templates. Shortcode parameters control style, flag display, and name display:
[lf_language_switcher style="dropdown" show_flags="true" show_names="true"]As a menu item
In Appearance → Menus, the Lang Forge language switcher appears as a menu item type. Add it to any menu like a normal page link. Lang Forge renders a dropdown or list depending on configuration.
In the WordPress admin bar
Logged-in users get a language switcher in the admin bar that only shows languages with existing translations for the current page — making it fast to review and edit multiple language versions.
Works on any theme
The language switcher uses no theme-specific code. It renders as semantic HTML with CSS classes you can override in your theme’s stylesheet. The default CSS is minimal and non-opinionated — it won’t clash with your design.
Accessibility
<select>dropdown mode uses a native element with proper<label>semantics- List and flag modes are rendered as
<ul>/<nav>with ARIA attributes - Keyboard navigation is supported in all three styles
langattributes are set on each link so screen readers pronounce names correctly
Ready to add a language switcher?
The language switcher is included in every paid plan — and in the free version on WordPress.org.