Change System Locale in Windows 10  

    Change System Locale in Windows 10

    Change System Locale in Windows 10

    How to Change System Locale in Windows 10
    Published by Category: General Tips
    26 Mar 2021
    Designer Media Ltd

    How to Change System Locale in Windows 10


    The system locale controls the language used when displaying text on programs that do not support Unicode.

    Changing the system locale will not affect the language in menus and dialog boxes for Windows or other programs that do use Unicode.

    This setting has three main purposes:
    • Specifies the default ANSI, OEM, MAC, and EBCDIC code pages to use for non-Unicode programs.
    • Specifies some of the font linking preferences for CJK fonts and for legacy bitmap fonts.
    • Specifies application behavior when developers incorrectly use this setting rather than the DEFAULT USER LOCALE.

    See also:

    This tutorial will show you how to change the system locale language used for non-Unicode programs in Windows 10.

    You must be signed in as an administrator to change the system locale.




    Here's How:

    1 Do step 2 (Control Panel) or step 3 (Settings) for how you would like to open administrative language settings.


    3 Open the Control Panel (icons view), click/tap on the Region icon, and go to step 4 below.

    4 Open Settings, and click/tap on the Time & Language icon.

    A) Click/tap on Language on the left side, click/tap on the Administrative language settings link on the right side under Related settings, and go to step 4 below. (see screenshot below)

    Change System Locale in Windows 10-change_system_locale-1.png

    4 Click/tap on the Administrative tab, and click/tap on the Change system locale button. (see screenshot below)

    Change System Locale in Windows 10-change_system_locale-2.png

    5 Select the language in the drop menu you want for the system locale, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

    If wanted, you can check the BETA: Use Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support box.

    Change System Locale in Windows 10-change_system_locale-3.png

    6 When ready, click/tap on the Restart now button to restart the computer to apply. (see screenshot below)

    This will restart the computer immediately. Be sure to save and close everything first.

    Change System Locale in Windows 10-change_system_locale-4.png

    7 The language you selected to be used for the system locale will also be automatically added as a language in Windows 10. (see screenshots below)

    Change System Locale in Windows 10-add_language_for_system_locale-1.jpg Change System Locale in Windows 10-add_language_for_system_locale-2.jpg


    That's it,
    Shawn






  1. Posts : 671
    Win 10 21H1 (OS Build 19043.1151)
       #1

    Just wondering.
    Why would someone what/need to do this, and are there any advantages to doing so?
    Last edited by Geosammy; 05 May 2019 at 23:48.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 68,672
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #2

    Hello George,

    The system locale determines which code pages (ANSI, MS-DOS, and Macintosh) are used on the system by default.

    It really just depends on if you have an app that is non-Unicode or not. Usually, it's not an issue for most though.

    This setting has three main purposes:
    • Specifies the default ANSI, OEM, MAC, and EBCDIC code pages to use for non-Unicode programs.
    • Specifies some of the font linking preferences for CJK fonts and for legacy bitmap fonts.
    • Specifies application behavior when developers incorrectly use this setting rather than the DEFAULT USER LOCALE.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 671
    Win 10 21H1 (OS Build 19043.1151)
       #3

    Brink said:
    Hello George,

    The system locale determines which code pages (ANSI, MS-DOS, and Macintosh) are used on the system by default.

    It really just depends on if you have an app that is non-Unicode or not. Usually, it's not an issue for most though.
    Cool, thanks.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 318
    Windows 10 Home Single Language 21H1
       #4

    Hello @Brink



    If wanted, you can check the BETA: Use Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support box.
    Is there any reg or bat tweak to check this box by automatically?
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 68,672
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Feuer said:
    Hello @Brink



    Is there any reg or bat tweak to check this box by automatically?
    Hey mate,

    I found using this below in a .reg file will check that box. It does require restarting the computer afterwards to fully apply.

    Code:
    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Nls\CodePage]
    "ACP"="65001"
    "OEMCP"="65001"
    "MACCP"="65001"

    This below was for unchecking the box, but it may vary for you current system locale. This below was with English (United States). It also requires restarting the computer afterwards to fully apply.

    Code:
    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Nls\CodePage]
    "ACP"="1252"
    "OEMCP"="437"
    "MACCP"="10000"
    Last edited by Brink; 26 Mar 2021 at 09:09.
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 318
    Windows 10 Home Single Language 21H1
       #6

    Thank you Brink. You are the solution.

    Change System Locale in Windows 10-941256b0-c95f-40d2-8ad4-d81ca61ac40f-.png
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 68,672
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #7

      My Computers


  8. Posts : 1
    Windows 10
       #8

    Hi there, the main thing that this does is it determines the default page size settings in your printers when you set them up. That's why it is so bloody annoying to have to set it. It should be linked to the regional settings that you set up during initial Windows configuration. The default setting is US English, which sets all the page sizes to, you guessed it, US Letter size as the default. There is only one country in the world that uses those settings, and it's bloody annoying. If only the programmers knew they wouldn't annoy us so much with it. What I was looking for when I came across this link was a way to automate this configuration in Active Directly or similar, so that it isn't so time consuming when configuring a large number of devices.
      My Computer


 

Tutorial Categories

Change System Locale in Windows 10 Tutorial Index Network & Sharing Instalation and Upgrade Browsers and Email General Tips Gaming Customization Apps and Features Virtualization BSOD System Security User Accounts Hardware and Drivers Updates and Activation Backup and Restore Performance and Maintenance Mixed Reality Phone


  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 10 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 10" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:33.
Find Us




Windows 10 Forums