why are my downloads opening with what appears to be Chinese characters.

The issue is typically caused by a mismatch between the file’s text encoding and the way Windows or the app is interpreting that encoding, not by your Windows display language.

When a document is saved using an encoding meant for another language (for example, a Chinese code page) and then opened as if it were plain English text, the characters can appear as Chinese or other random symbols.

If these are Word documents or text files opened in Word:

1. In Word, open the file using the encoding chooser:
   1. Open Word.
   2. Select File > Open and choose the file.
   3. If Word shows a File Conversion dialog, choose an encoding that matches the file’s actual language/content. For English text, try:
      • Windows (Default)
      • Or another encoding you know the file was saved with.
   4. Preview the text in the dialog; if it looks correct, select OK.
2. When saving text files from Word, ensure they are saved with Unicode or a suitable encoding:
   1. File > Save As.
   2. In Save as type, select Plain Text.
   3. Click Save.
   4. In the File Conversion dialog, choose Windows (Default) or Unicode so the file will open correctly later.

If the files are from another program, check that program’s save/export encoding options and choose Unicode or an English-compatible encoding.

If the problem appears in web pages or apps rather than files, verify that Windows, browser, and app language settings all match your preferred language and region, as inconsistent settings can affect how text is rendered.

References:

• Choose text encoding when you open and save files
• Check or change language settings
• Why does some text display with square boxes in some apps on Windows 10?