How to Change System Locale in Windows 11

Checking Your Current System Locale

Before you change anything, check what your computer is set to right now. That gives you a starting point, and you can return to it if the new setting doesn’t help.

You can check your system locale settings from Control Panel 🎛️, Command Prompt or PowerShell. All three show the same value, so use whichever you prefer.

Method 1Using the Control Panel

The classic Control Panel 🎛️ shows your current system locale in plain words. It works the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro. You open the Region window, go to the Administrative tab, and read the language listed for non-Unicode programs.

The administrative language settings are also reachable from Settings. Go to Settings › Time & language › Language & region and use the Administrative language settings link under Related settings. It opens the same Region window. The steps below use Control Panel.

These steps show your current system locale:

1. Search for Control Panel. Type "Control Panel" in the Windows search bar and click the result. The Control Panel window opens.
2. Check the View by setting in the top-right corner. If you see categories such as System and Security or Clock and Region, click Clock and Region. If you see small or large icons, click Region and skip the next step.
3. Click Region if you opened Clock and Region. A Region window opens and shows your current regional settings on the Formats tab.
4. Click the Administrative tab at the top of the window. The tab shows the section for non-Unicode programs.
5. Read the language under Current language for non-Unicode programs. It sits in the Language for non-Unicode programs section. That language is your system locale, which your computer uses for older apps.

If the language shown doesn't look right for the programs you want to use, or you don't recognize it, you probably need to change it. Write down the current value first so you can go back to it. The change methods are covered further down.

Method 2Using Command Prompt

Command Prompt shows your current system locale with one built-in command, so you don't need to open several settings windows. You type the locale query command, press Enter, and read the active language setting for older programs.

1. Open Command Prompt. Type "cmd" in the Windows search bar and press Enter. A black Command Prompt window opens. If you plan to make changes later, right-click the result and choose Run as administrator instead, then click Yes if User Account Control asks for permission.
2. Type the command below and press Enter. Type it exactly as shown:

   💻Code

   Copy

   systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"System Locale"

3. Wait for the output to finish. The command can take a moment, so don't press Enter again.
4. Read the line labelled "System Locale." That line is your current system locale.

A small pause after you press Enter is normal. Don't close the window. The output appears once the command finishes.

Method 3Using PowerShell

PowerShell is a fast way to check your system locale. A short command shows the language code Windows uses for non-Unicode programs. It works on every edition of Windows 11.

1. Open PowerShell as administrator. Type "PowerShell" in the Windows search bar, right-click Windows PowerShell and select Run as administrator. Click Yes if User Account Control appears, and a blue PowerShell window opens.
2. Type the command below and press Enter:

   ⬛PowerShell

   Copy

   Get-WinSystemLocale

3. Read the result. PowerShell shows your current system locale straight away. It might look like "en-US" or "de-DE." That code is the language and region Windows uses for older apps.

Good to know: The system locale mainly affects how non-Unicode programs show text. The formats for dates, times and currency are set separately on the Formats tab in the same Region window. After a change, check that tab too if an older program still shows dates or money amounts wrongly.

Changing Your System Locale in 🪟 Windows 11

To change your Windows 11 system locale, you need administrator permission. If you are signed in with a standard account, Windows asks for an administrator password. Windows applies the setting to the whole PC, not only to your account.

If the Change system locale... button does nothing, or you can't get past the prompt, you are not signed in with administrator rights. Sign in with an administrator account and try again.

Method 1Using the Control Panel

This is the most common and recommended way to do a system locale change. The steps below go from opening Control Panel to the final restart.

1. Open Control Panel. Type "Control Panel" in the Windows search bar and click the result.
2. Open the Region window. If you see categories, click Clock and Region, then Region. If you see icons, click Region. The Region window opens on the Formats tab.
3. Click the Administrative tab. The Language for non-Unicode programs section appears.
4. Click Change system locale.... Accept the prompt if Windows asks for administrator approval. A Region Settings window appears.
5. Open the Current system locale dropdown menu. Choose the language that matches the older programs you need to run. For an old German program, choose German.
6. Leave Beta: Use Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support cleared. Tick it only if you know you need it. It changes how Windows handles text for the whole system and can break other older programs.
7. Click OK in the Region Settings window. Windows will likely tell you to restart your computer for the changes to work fully.
8. Save your work, then click Restart now. If you click Cancel, the change doesn't take effect until the next restart.

After the restart, open the Administrative tab again to confirm the new language is shown. To undo the change, repeat these steps and pick your original language.

If you have problems after changing the locale, go to Settings › Time & language › Language & region and add the language pack you need.

Method 2Using Command Prompt for Quick Access

A Command Prompt shortcut opens the right settings window with a single command. These steps take you from an administrator Command Prompt to a finished system locale change without digging through menus.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator. Search for "cmd," right-click the result, and select Run as administrator. Click Yes if User Account Control appears.
2. Type `control.exe intl.cpl,,8` and press Enter. Type it exactly as shown, including both commas.
3. Wait for the Region settings window to open. It should show the Administrative tab. If it opens on a different tab, click Administrative yourself.
4. Click Change system locale.... Accept the administrator prompt if Windows shows one, and the Region Settings window appears.
5. Choose your language in the Current system locale dropdown menu. Pick the one your older program expects.
6. Click OK. Windows asks you to restart the PC.
7. Click Restart now. Save your work first, because the PC restarts straight away.

The `control.exe intl.cpl,,8` command skips several steps and opens the "Administrative" tab of the Region settings window directly, so you reach the system locale setting faster.

Method 3: Using PowerShell with a Specific Command

PowerShell can change the system locale directly from the command line. This works well for automated setups and for advanced users who manage several PCs. You open PowerShell with administrator rights and run the cmdlet that applies a new language code to your non-Unicode program settings.

1. Open PowerShell as administrator. Search for "PowerShell," right-click the result, and select Run as administrator. Click Yes if User Account Control appears.
2. Choose the locale you want. PowerShell needs its language code, so replace <LocaleName> with the correct one. Here are some examples:

   • For English (United States): en-US
   • For German (Germany): de-DE
   • For Japanese (Japan): ja-JP
   • For French (France): fr-FR
3. Check the command format. The command looks like this:

   ⬛PowerShell

   Copy

   Set-WinSystemLocale -SystemLocale <LocaleName>

4. Type your own version of the command. For example, to set it to German, type:

   ⬛PowerShell

   Copy

   Set-WinSystemLocale -SystemLocale de-DE

5. Press Enter to run it. You might be asked to install extra language features. If an error appears, check that you opened PowerShell as administrator and that the language code is spelled correctly.
6. Restart your computer. The new system locale only applies after the restart.

To go back, run the same command again with your original language code, then restart. You can confirm the result afterwards with the PowerShell check from earlier in this guide.

Summary

Changing the system locale in Windows 11 fixes text display problems in older programs that do not use modern Unicode text encoding. You can check or update your settings using Control Panel, Command Prompt or PowerShell. You always need administrator rights, and you need to restart your computer afterward to apply the changes properly. If the problem remains after the restart, check that the right language pack is installed.