diff --git a/packages/ui/src/lib/i18n/index.tsx b/packages/ui/src/lib/i18n/index.tsx
index a63e53f1..3a50885c 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/lib/i18n/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/lib/i18n/index.tsx
@@ -2,11 +2,6 @@ import { createContext, createEffect, createMemo, createSignal, onCleanup, onMou
 import type { ParentComponent } from "solid-js"
 import { useConfig } from "../../stores/preferences"
 import { enMessages } from "./messages/en"
-import { esMessages } from "./messages/es"
-import { frMessages } from "./messages/fr"
-import { ruMessages } from "./messages/ru"
-import { jaMessages } from "./messages/ja"
-import { zhHansMessages } from "./messages/zh-Hans"
 
 type Messages = Record<string, string>
 
@@ -15,14 +10,18 @@ export type TranslateParams = Record<string, unknown>
 export type Locale = "en" | "es" | "fr" | "ru" | "ja" | "zh-Hans"
 
 const SUPPORTED_LOCALES: readonly Locale[] = ["en", "es", "fr", "ru", "ja", "zh-Hans"] as const
+const SUPPORTED_LOCALES_BY_LOWER = new Map(SUPPORTED_LOCALES.map((locale) => [locale.toLowerCase(), locale]))
 
-const messagesByLocale: Record<Locale, Messages> = {
-  en: enMessages,
-  es: esMessages,
-  fr: frMessages,
-  ru: ruMessages,
-  ja: jaMessages,
-  "zh-Hans": zhHansMessages,
+const localeMessagesCache = new Map<Locale, Messages>([["en", enMessages]])
+const localeMessagesPromises = new Map<Locale, Promise<Messages>>()
+
+const localeLoaders: Record<Locale, () => Promise<Messages>> = {
+  en: async () => enMessages,
+  es: async () => (await import("./messages/es")).esMessages,
+  fr: async () => (await import("./messages/fr")).frMessages,
+  ru: async () => (await import("./messages/ru")).ruMessages,
+  ja: async () => (await import("./messages/ja")).jaMessages,
+  "zh-Hans": async () => (await import("./messages/zh-Hans")).zhHansMessages,
 }
 
 function normalizeLocaleTag(value: string): string {
@@ -34,8 +33,7 @@ function matchSupportedLocale(value: string | undefined): Locale | null {
 
   const normalized = normalizeLocaleTag(value)
   const lower = normalized.toLowerCase()
-  const supportedLower = new Map(SUPPORTED_LOCALES.map((locale) => [locale.toLowerCase(), locale]))
-  const exact = supportedLower.get(lower)
+  const exact = SUPPORTED_LOCALES_BY_LOWER.get(lower)
   if (exact) return exact
 
   const parts = lower.split("-")
@@ -43,11 +41,11 @@ function matchSupportedLocale(value: string | undefined): Locale | null {
   if (!base) return null
 
   if (base === "zh") {
-    const zhHans = supportedLower.get("zh-hans")
+    const zhHans = SUPPORTED_LOCALES_BY_LOWER.get("zh-hans")
     return zhHans ?? null
   }
 
-  const baseMatch = supportedLower.get(base)
+  const baseMatch = SUPPORTED_LOCALES_BY_LOWER.get(base)
   return baseMatch ?? null
 }
 
@@ -84,8 +82,54 @@ function translateFrom(messages: Messages, key: string, params?: TranslateParams
 }
 
 const [globalRevision, setGlobalRevision] = createSignal(0)
-const initialGlobalLocale: Locale = detectNavigatorLocale() ?? "en"
-let globalMessages: Messages = messagesByLocale[initialGlobalLocale]
+let globalMessages: Messages = enMessages
+let globalLocale: Locale = "en"
+
+function getMessagesForLocale(locale: Locale): Messages {
+  return localeMessagesCache.get(locale) ?? enMessages
+}
+
+async function loadLocaleMessages(locale: Locale): Promise<Messages> {
+  const cached = localeMessagesCache.get(locale)
+  if (cached) {
+    return cached
+  }
+
+  const pending = localeMessagesPromises.get(locale)
+  if (pending) {
+    return pending
+  }
+
+  const loader = localeLoaders[locale]
+  const promise = loader()
+    .then((messages) => {
+      localeMessagesCache.set(locale, messages)
+      localeMessagesPromises.delete(locale)
+      return messages
+    })
+    .catch((error) => {
+      localeMessagesPromises.delete(locale)
+      throw error
+    })
+
+  localeMessagesPromises.set(locale, promise)
+  return promise
+}
+
+export async function preloadLocaleMessages(preferredLocale?: string | null): Promise<Locale> {
+  const resolvedLocale = matchSupportedLocale(preferredLocale ?? undefined) ?? detectNavigatorLocale() ?? "en"
+  try {
+    globalMessages = await loadLocaleMessages(resolvedLocale)
+    globalLocale = resolvedLocale
+    setGlobalRevision((value) => value + 1)
+    return resolvedLocale
+  } catch {
+    globalMessages = enMessages
+    globalLocale = "en"
+    setGlobalRevision((value) => value + 1)
+    return "en"
+  }
+}
 
 export function tGlobal(key: string, params?: TranslateParams): string {
   globalRevision()
@@ -101,9 +145,10 @@ const I18nContext = createContext<I18nContextValue>()
 
 export const I18nProvider: ParentComponent = (props) => {
   const { preferences } = useConfig()
-  const [detectedLocale, setDetectedLocale] = createSignal<Locale>("en")
-
-  const previousMessages = globalMessages
+  const [detectedLocale, setDetectedLocale] = createSignal<Locale>(globalLocale)
+  const [resolvedLocale, setResolvedLocale] = createSignal<Locale>(globalLocale)
+  const previousGlobalMessages = globalMessages
+  const previousGlobalLocale = globalLocale
 
   onMount(() => {
     const detected = detectNavigatorLocale()
@@ -115,19 +160,44 @@ export const I18nProvider: ParentComponent = (props) => {
     return configured ?? detectedLocale() ?? "en"
   })
 
-  const messages = createMemo<Messages>(() => messagesByLocale[locale()])
+  const messages = createMemo<Messages>(() => getMessagesForLocale(resolvedLocale()))
 
   function t(key: string, params?: TranslateParams): string {
     return translateFrom(messages(), key, params)
   }
 
   createEffect(() => {
-    globalMessages = messages()
-    setGlobalRevision((value) => value + 1)
+    const nextLocale = locale()
+    let cancelled = false
+
+    void loadLocaleMessages(nextLocale)
+      .then((loadedMessages) => {
+        if (cancelled) {
+          return
+        }
+        setResolvedLocale(nextLocale)
+        globalLocale = nextLocale
+        globalMessages = loadedMessages
+        setGlobalRevision((value) => value + 1)
+      })
+      .catch(() => {
+        if (cancelled) {
+          return
+        }
+        setResolvedLocale("en")
+        globalMessages = enMessages
+        globalLocale = "en"
+        setGlobalRevision((value) => value + 1)
+      })
+
+    onCleanup(() => {
+      cancelled = true
+    })
   })
 
   onCleanup(() => {
-    globalMessages = previousMessages
+    globalMessages = previousGlobalMessages
+    globalLocale = previousGlobalLocale
     setGlobalRevision((value) => value + 1)
   })
 
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/main.tsx b/packages/ui/src/main.tsx
index c0a1b4ff..4be1fc57 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/main.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/main.tsx
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { ThemeProvider } from "./lib/theme"
 import { ConfigProvider } from "./stores/preferences"
 import { InstanceConfigProvider } from "./stores/instance-config"
 import { runtimeEnv } from "./lib/runtime-env"
-import { I18nProvider } from "./lib/i18n"
+import { I18nProvider, preloadLocaleMessages } from "./lib/i18n"
 import { storage } from "./lib/storage"
 import "./index.css"
 import "@git-diff-view/solid/styles/diff-view-pure.css"
@@ -31,15 +31,19 @@ async function bootstrap() {
 
     try {
       const uiConfig = await storage.loadConfigOwner("ui")
-      const theme = (uiConfig as any)?.theme ?? "system"
+      const theme = (uiConfig as any)?.theme
+      const locale = typeof (uiConfig as any)?.settings?.locale === "string" ? (uiConfig as any).settings.locale : undefined
 
-      if (theme === "system") {
-        document.documentElement.removeAttribute("data-theme")
-      } else {
+      if (theme === "light" || theme === "dark") {
         document.documentElement.setAttribute("data-theme", theme)
+      } else {
+        document.documentElement.removeAttribute("data-theme")
       }
+
+      await preloadLocaleMessages(locale)
     } catch {
       // If config fails to load, fall back to CSS defaults.
+      await preloadLocaleMessages()
     }
   }