How to Find Your Device Setup Country in Windows 11

Method 1Checking in Windows Settings

The Settings ⚙️ app is the easiest place to check. It shows the region you chose during first-time setup as a country name, so you do not need to look up a code. The steps below are for Windows 11, both Home and Pro. Nothing here changes any setting, so there is nothing to undo.

1. Open Settings ⚙️. Press Win+I. The Settings ⚙️ window opens.
2. Go to Time & language. In the left-hand menu, click Time & language. The right side now shows date, time and language options.
3. Open Language & region. On the right side of the window, click Language & region.
4. Locate the Device setup region. Scroll down to the Region section. Below it, look for Device setup region, followed by a country or region name. This is the region that was chosen when the PC was first set up. It is not always the same as your current Country or region setting, because you can change that one later.
5. Close Settings. Close the window when you have the answer.

If you cannot find Device setup region on your build of Windows 11, the entry may not be shown on your PC. Use the Registry Editor or PowerShell method below instead. Both read the same stored value.

Method 2Using the Registry Editor

If the setting does not appear in Settings, you can read the value from the Registry Editor (a database that holds core Windows settings ⚙️). The original setup location is stored at this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\DeviceRegion

The Registry Editor is included in both Windows 11 Home and Pro. You only need to look at the value, not edit it.

Changing or deleting the wrong entry can cause serious problems with Windows. Back up the registry before making any edits. For this task, only browse to the path above and read the value.

1. Open Registry Editor. Press Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type regedit and press Enter or click OK. A prompt may ask whether you want to allow this app to make changes to your device. Click Yes. This needs Administrator privileges, so on a standard account you will be asked for an administrator password. The Registry Editor window then opens, with a folder tree on the left.
2. Go to the correct folder. In the left pane, expand each folder in turn until you reach this path:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\DeviceRegion

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   As a shortcut, you can paste the path into the address bar at the top of the Registry Editor window and press Enter.

3. Find the DeviceRegion value. Click the DeviceRegion folder, then look in the right-hand pane. You will see a list of items. Find the one named DeviceRegion. It will likely have a Type of REG_DWORD and some numbers under the Data column. These numbers are the code.

   💡TipYou are looking for a number such as 242 or 244.

   This is the GeoID, which represents a specific country or region. The Data column may show the number in hexadecimal first, followed by the decimal value in brackets. Use the decimal value when you look it up.

4. Look up the GeoID code. Microsoft uses this number to identify a country, so you need to match it against a table. Search online for "Windows GeoID table" or "Geographical location identifier decimal". The table lists each number next to its country or region name. For example, 242 is the United Kingdom and 244 is the United States. Use a reliable source, such as Microsoft's official pages, so you get the correct mapping.
5. Close Registry Editor. Once you have the number and know which country it matches, close the Registry Editor window. Nothing needs to be saved, and no restart is required.

Method 3Using PowerShell

PowerShell (a command-line tool for managing computer settings) can read the same registry value with a single command. This is handy when you want a quick answer, or when you are checking several PCs. You do not need administrator rights to read the value.

1. Open Windows Terminal (or PowerShell). Right-click the Start button and select Windows Terminal. If you do not have Windows Terminal, search for "PowerShell" in the Start menu and open it. A window opens with a command prompt, ready for typing.
2. Enter the command. Type or paste the following command and press Enter. It tells Windows to read the same DeviceRegion information we found in Method 2.

   Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\DeviceRegion" | Select-Object DeviceRegion

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3. Note the output. After you press Enter, PowerShell shows the DeviceRegion value. It is a number, like the one in the Registry Editor. For example, it might show:

   DeviceRegion : 244

   This is the GeoID code for your device's original setup country. If you get an error instead, check that the command was pasted completely and that you did not add extra characters.

4. Look up the GeoID code. As with the Registry method, you need to match this number against a GeoID table to find the country or region. Search online for "Windows GeoID table". Keep a lookup table bookmarked or saved, so you can check the code quickly on another PC.
5. Close Windows Terminal. Once you have the information, close the Windows Terminal window.

Summary

Knowing your device setup country helps explain stubborn regional defaults, wrong time zones, or date formats that refuse to change through the normal menus. With the original region in hand, you can troubleshoot language conflicts and work out why some region settings keep reverting.

These methods only show the setup region. They do not change it. The setup region is chosen during first-time setup, so resetting or reinstalling Windows is what gives you the chance to pick a different one.

Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Control Panel\DeviceRegion" | Select-Object DeviceRegion

DeviceRegion : 242