diff --git a/cmake/CMakeLists.txt b/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
index afa3f2a12e..d7f79974de 100644
--- a/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -386,7 +386,6 @@ if(PKG_ADIOS)
   # The search for ADIOS2 must come before MPI because
   # it includes its own MPI search with the latest FindMPI.cmake
   # script that defines the MPI::MPI_C target
-  enable_language(C)
   find_package(ADIOS2 REQUIRED)
   if(BUILD_MPI)
     if(NOT ADIOS2_HAVE_MPI)
@@ -401,7 +400,7 @@ if(PKG_ADIOS)
 endif()
 
 if(NOT CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING)
-  find_package(MPI QUIET)
+  find_package(MPI QUIET COMPONENTS C)
   option(BUILD_MPI "Build MPI version" ${MPI_FOUND})
 else()
   option(BUILD_MPI "Build MPI version" OFF)
@@ -415,7 +414,6 @@ if(BUILD_MPI)
   if((CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "Windows") AND CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING)
     include(MPI4WIN)
   else()
-    enable_language(C)
     find_package(MPI REQUIRED COMPONENTS C)
     option(LAMMPS_LONGLONG_TO_LONG "Workaround if your system or MPI version does not recognize 'long long' data types" OFF)
     if(LAMMPS_LONGLONG_TO_LONG)
@@ -543,7 +541,6 @@ if((CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "Intel") AND (CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD GREATER_EQUA
 endif()
 
 if(PKG_ATC OR PKG_AWPMD OR PKG_ML-QUIP OR PKG_ML-POD OR PKG_ELECTRODE OR PKG_RHEO OR BUILD_TOOLS)
-  enable_language(C)
   if (NOT USE_INTERNAL_LINALG)
     find_package(LAPACK)
     find_package(BLAS)
@@ -1058,9 +1055,9 @@ else()
 endif()
 if(BUILD_MPI)
   message(STATUS "<<< MPI flags >>>
--- MPI_defines:      ${MPI_CXX_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS}
--- MPI includes:     ${MPI_CXX_INCLUDE_PATH}
--- MPI libraries:    ${MPI_CXX_LIBRARIES};${MPI_Fortran_LIBRARIES}")
+-- MPI_defines:      ${MPI_C_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS}
+-- MPI includes:     ${MPI_C_INCLUDE_PATH}
+-- MPI libraries:    ${MPI_C_LIBRARIES};${MPI_Fortran_LIBRARIES}")
 endif()
 if(PKG_GPU)
   message(STATUS "<<< GPU package settings >>>
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/MPI4WIN.cmake b/cmake/Modules/MPI4WIN.cmake
index 9c5a2c8b6c..18a551b1c7 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/MPI4WIN.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/MPI4WIN.cmake
@@ -29,9 +29,9 @@ if(USE_MSMPI)
   add_dependencies(MPI::MPI_C mpi4win_build)
 
   # set variables for status reporting at the end of CMake run
-  set(MPI_CXX_INCLUDE_PATH "${SOURCE_DIR}/include")
-  set(MPI_CXX_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "MPICH_SKIP_MPICXX")
-  set(MPI_CXX_LIBRARIES "${SOURCE_DIR}/lib/libmsmpi.a")
+  set(MPI_C_INCLUDE_PATH "${SOURCE_DIR}/include")
+  set(MPI_C_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "MPICH_SKIP_MPICXX")
+  set(MPI_C_LIBRARIES "${SOURCE_DIR}/lib/libmsmpi.a")
 else()
   message(STATUS "Downloading and configuring MPICH2-1.4.1 for Windows cross-compilation")
   set(MPICH2_WIN64_DEVEL_URL "${LAMMPS_THIRDPARTY_URL}/mpich2-win64-devel.tar.gz" CACHE STRING "URL for MPICH2 (win64) tarball")
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ else()
   add_dependencies(MPI::MPI_C mpi4win_build)
 
   # set variables for status reporting at the end of CMake run
-  set(MPI_CXX_INCLUDE_PATH "${SOURCE_DIR}/include")
-  set(MPI_CXX_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "MPICH_SKIP_MPICXX")
-  set(MPI_CXX_LIBRARIES "${SOURCE_DIR}/lib/libmpi.a")
+  set(MPI_C_INCLUDE_PATH "${SOURCE_DIR}/include")
+  set(MPI_C_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "MPICH_SKIP_MPICXX")
+  set(MPI_C_LIBRARIES "${SOURCE_DIR}/lib/libmpi.a")
 endif()
diff --git a/examples/COUPLE/plugin/CMakeLists.txt b/examples/COUPLE/plugin/CMakeLists.txt
index 00f86058fb..c8deb5c7c6 100644
--- a/examples/COUPLE/plugin/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/examples/COUPLE/plugin/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ if(MSVC)
   add_compile_definitions(_CRT_SECURE_NO_WARNINGS)
 endif()
 
-find_package(MPI REQUIRED)
+find_package(MPI REQUIRED COMPONENTS C)
 # do not include the (obsolete) MPI C++ bindings which makes
 # for leaner object files and avoids namespace conflicts
 set(MPI_CXX_SKIP_MPICXX TRUE)
diff --git a/examples/COUPLE/simple/CMakeLists.txt b/examples/COUPLE/simple/CMakeLists.txt
index c09b372183..6d26db1877 100644
--- a/examples/COUPLE/simple/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/examples/COUPLE/simple/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ if(MSVC)
   add_compile_definitions(_CRT_SECURE_NO_WARNINGS)
 endif()
 
-find_package(MPI QUIET)
+find_package(MPI QUIET COMPONENTS C)
 # do not include the (obsolete) MPI C++ bindings which makes
 # for leaner object files and avoids namespace conflicts
 set(MPI_CXX_SKIP_MPICXX TRUE)
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ if(NOT LAMMPS_SOURCE_DIR)
 endif()
 
 add_executable(simpleCC simple.cpp)
-target_link_libraries(simpleCC PRIVATE LAMMPS::lammps MPI::MPI_CXX)
+target_link_libraries(simpleCC PRIVATE LAMMPS::lammps MPI::MPI_C)
 
 add_executable(simpleC simple.c)
 target_link_libraries(simpleC PRIVATE LAMMPS::lammps MPI::MPI_C)
diff --git a/examples/plugins/LAMMPSInterfaceCXX.cmake b/examples/plugins/LAMMPSInterfaceCXX.cmake
index 4cd4510a61..cdfcb498fe 100644
--- a/examples/plugins/LAMMPSInterfaceCXX.cmake
+++ b/examples/plugins/LAMMPSInterfaceCXX.cmake
@@ -34,8 +34,9 @@ endif()
 ################################################################################
 # MPI configuration
 if(NOT CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING)
+  enable_language(C)
   set(MPI_CXX_SKIP_MPICXX TRUE)
-  find_package(MPI QUIET)
+  find_package(MPI QUIET COMPONENTS C)
   option(BUILD_MPI "Build MPI version" ${MPI_FOUND})
 else()
   option(BUILD_MPI "Build MPI version" OFF)
@@ -69,17 +70,17 @@ if(BUILD_MPI)
 
       ExternalProject_get_property(mpi4win_build SOURCE_DIR)
       file(MAKE_DIRECTORY "${SOURCE_DIR}/include")
-      add_library(MPI::MPI_CXX UNKNOWN IMPORTED)
-      set_target_properties(MPI::MPI_CXX PROPERTIES
+      add_library(MPI::MPI_C UNKNOWN IMPORTED)
+      set_target_properties(MPI::MPI_C PROPERTIES
         IMPORTED_LOCATION "${SOURCE_DIR}/lib/libmsmpi.a"
         INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${SOURCE_DIR}/include"
         INTERFACE_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "MPICH_SKIP_MPICXX")
-      add_dependencies(MPI::MPI_CXX mpi4win_build)
+      add_dependencies(MPI::MPI_C mpi4win_build)
 
       # set variables for status reporting at the end of CMake run
-      set(MPI_CXX_INCLUDE_PATH "${SOURCE_DIR}/include")
-      set(MPI_CXX_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "MPICH_SKIP_MPICXX")
-      set(MPI_CXX_LIBRARIES "${SOURCE_DIR}/lib/libmsmpi.a")
+      set(MPI_C_INCLUDE_PATH "${SOURCE_DIR}/include")
+      set(MPI_C_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "MPICH_SKIP_MPICXX")
+      set(MPI_C_LIBRARIES "${SOURCE_DIR}/lib/libmsmpi.a")
     else()
       # Download and configure custom MPICH files for Windows
       message(STATUS "Downloading and configuring MPICH-1.4.1 for Windows")
@@ -105,17 +106,17 @@ if(BUILD_MPI)
 
       ExternalProject_get_property(mpi4win_build SOURCE_DIR)
       file(MAKE_DIRECTORY "${SOURCE_DIR}/include")
-      add_library(MPI::MPI_CXX UNKNOWN IMPORTED)
-      set_target_properties(MPI::MPI_CXX PROPERTIES
+      add_library(MPI::MPI_C UNKNOWN IMPORTED)
+      set_target_properties(MPI::MPI_C PROPERTIES
         IMPORTED_LOCATION "${SOURCE_DIR}/lib/libmpi.a"
         INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${SOURCE_DIR}/include"
         INTERFACE_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "MPICH_SKIP_MPICXX")
-      add_dependencies(MPI::MPI_CXX mpi4win_build)
+      add_dependencies(MPI::MPI_C mpi4win_build)
 
       # set variables for status reporting at the end of CMake run
-      set(MPI_CXX_INCLUDE_PATH "${SOURCE_DIR}/include")
-      set(MPI_CXX_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "MPICH_SKIP_MPICXX")
-      set(MPI_CXX_LIBRARIES "${SOURCE_DIR}/lib/libmpi.a")
+      set(MPI_C_INCLUDE_PATH "${SOURCE_DIR}/include")
+      set(MPI_C_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "MPICH_SKIP_MPICXX")
+      set(MPI_C_LIBRARIES "${SOURCE_DIR}/lib/libmpi.a")
     endif()
   else()
     find_package(MPI REQUIRED)
@@ -124,7 +125,7 @@ if(BUILD_MPI)
       target_compile_definitions(lammps INTERFACE -DLAMMPS_LONGLONG_TO_LONG)
     endif()
   endif()
-  target_link_libraries(lammps INTERFACE MPI::MPI_CXX)
+  target_link_libraries(lammps INTERFACE MPI::MPI_C)
 else()
   target_include_directories(lammps INTERFACE "${LAMMPS_SOURCE_DIR}/STUBS")
 endif()