You have an Azure Virtual Desktop host pool. You add a French language pack to each session host in the host pool. Several days later, users report…

The described behavior is characteristic of the "Language Pack Cleanup" task, a scheduled task in Windows that automatically removes language packs not actively referenced by any user profile or the system default language. In a multi-session environment like Azure Virtual Desktop, this can lead to the removal of necessary language packs. The most direct and reliable method to prevent this is to apply a Group Policy setting that explicitly blocks this cleanup task from running, thereby ensuring the French language pack remains installed on the session hosts.

B. Disabling the "Time & language" settings page only restricts user access to the UI; it does not prevent the underlying system's scheduled cleanup task from running.

C. While configuring international settings is part of the setup, it does not guarantee the cleanup task will see the language pack as "in use" and may still remove it.

D. Assigning a default time zone is unrelated to language pack management and will not resolve the issue of language packs being uninstalled.

1. Microsoft Learn | Install language packs on Windows Enterprise multi-session or Windows Server: This official documentation directly addresses the issue. It states

"Windows has a scheduled task named Language Pack Cleanup that automatically uninstalls language packs that aren't being used... To make sure language packs for your users stay installed

we recommend you disable this task." It then provides instructions for disabling the task

which can be enforced via Group Policy.

Section: "Disable the Language Pack Cleanup task"

2. Microsoft Learn | Manage language and region settings for Windows Server: This document explains the management of language settings and mentions the cleanup process. The recommended solution for persistent language packs in multi-user environments is to prevent the cleanup. The Group Policy setting "Block cleanup of unused language packs" located at Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Control Panel\Regional and Language Options is the prescribed method.

Section: "Language pack management" and related Group Policy settings.