How to Change System Locale in Windows 11
Have you ever tried to open an older program, only to see strange symbols or scrambled text? This happens because some older software cannot read modern character standards. By changing your System Locale, you can help these programs display text correctly.
Why change the System Locale? Some older apps do not use Unicode, which is the global standard for text. Changing this setting acts as a translator so your computer can display the correct characters for those specific programs.
What happens when done? Your computer will be better at reading older software. Note that this change applies to every user account on your PC, not just your own.
How to Change System Locale in Windows 11
You can adjust these settings through the main Windows menu. Follow these steps to get started:
- Open your Settings by pressing the Windows key + I on your keyboard, or click Start and select the Settings gear icon.
- In the Settings menu, click on Time & Language. Then, select Language & Region on the right side of your screen.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Look for the Related settings section and click on Administrative language settings.
- A new window will open. Under the Administrative tab, click the Change system locale button. Note: This step requires admin privileges.
- Choose your preferred language from the list provided, then click OK.
- If you want to use the latest global language support, you can check the box for BETA: Use Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support.
- Once you finish, you will be prompted to restart your computer. You must restart for the new settings to take effect.
Summary
Changing your System Locale helps your computer run older, non-Unicode software without text errors. By following these steps through your Administrative settings, you ensure that your computer can handle different character sets correctly. Remember that this change affects all users on your PC and requires a system restart to finish the process.
Was this guide helpful?
Yes, that was what I tought first to do without that little tutorial. But it that not doing that. Also if I want to run a program with another UNICODE language, that do not mean that the whole system must be in the local UNICODE language. So..it is not completly correct and also do not work so simply.
But thanks..
And sorry for my bad english. I am a little bit stressed becouse my programs from other countries worked under windows 10 perfectly fine and in the upgrade report was nothing written about that there will be unicode system changes.
[…] you click Next, your current Windows 11 local account will switch to this Microsoft […]
[…] Regional format settings influence how dates, times, numbers, and currencies are displayed on your computer according to your locale. Windows supports a variety of languages, plus currency and date/time formats for the countries/regions that use those languages. […]
[…] Regional format settings influence how dates, times, numbers, and currencies are displayed on your computer according to your locale. […]
[…] Regional format settings control how your computer shows dates, times, numbers, and currency based on where you live. […]
[…] Regional format controls how Windows shows dates, times, numbers, and money based on your country or language. For example, some places use a comma (,) as a decimal point while others use a dot (.). […]