To change region on Mac, open Apple menu > System Settings > General > Language & Region and pick a country or area from the Region menu; dates, numbers, and currency then follow that region. macOS has no separate “country” switch, so Region is the setting most people mean. The same Language and Region Settings on Mac let you put a language at the top of Preferred Languages for system text, or use Applications when only one app needs a different language. Quit and reopen affected apps, then verify each result separately.

Key Takeaways

System language, regional formats, and an individual app's language are three different controls.

Record the current language order and format previews before changing anything.

The first supported language in Preferred Languages is the one macOS or an app normally uses.

Changing Language & Region does not change the country of your Apple Account or App Store.

Keyboard input sources, location permission, GPS information, and network location are separate settings.

If you are configuring a computer for the first time, use the new Mac setup checklist first. For a broader diagnosis, return to the device troubleshooting guide. This page changes how macOS and apps display language and formats; it does not move purchases or store eligibility between countries.

What do Language and Region Settings on Mac control?

Start by naming the result you want. A request such as “make menus French” concerns the system language. “Show day before month and use euros” concerns regional formats. “Keep macOS in English but open one writing app in German” concerns an app-specific language. Treating those as one switch makes it hard to tell whether the change worked.

Apple describes Language & Region as the place to choose the language shown by macOS and supported apps, plus formats for dates, times, numbers, currencies, calendars, temperature, measurement, and the first day of the week. The Applications list provides a separate override for individual apps.［1］ An app still needs to include the chosen localization; selecting a language cannot create a translation that its developer did not ship.

The controls do not change your Apple Account country or the storefront associated with it. If your goal is to use a legitimate billing country, preserve purchases, or meet store-country requirements, stop here and use the separate App Store country or region guide. The Mac's display region is not proof of residence, payment eligibility, or content availability.

Also keep these layers separate:

Goal	Correct setting
Change menus and system text	Preferred Languages
Change dates, numbers, currency, or measurement	Region and format controls
Change one supported app only	Applications language override
Type with another keyboard layout	Keyboard input sources
Change an app's access to location	Privacy & Security permissions
Change an Apple storefront country	Apple Account and App Store process

How should you prepare before changing Mac language settings?

Use a two-minute baseline so you can undo an unexpected result.

Open Apple menu > System Settings > General > Language & Region. Menu names can differ on older macOS releases, but use the built-in settings rather than a third-party utility.
Write down the current order under Preferred Languages. A quick note is safer than relying on memory after menus change.
Record the current Region and the previews for date, number, and time. If you use accounting, spreadsheets, calendar exports, or data files, note which format those workflows expect.
Save open documents and finish any important export. A language change can require apps to reopen, and a system-language change may prompt you to restart.
Make sure you can recognize System Settings, General, and Language & Region in the language you plan to add. Keep these instructions available on another device if the new menus will be unfamiliar.

Do not change the language order, Region, keyboard layout, account country, and several app overrides at the same time. One controlled change gives you a clear result and a clear rollback. On a shared Mac, each user should review their own session; applying the primary language to the login window affects what all users see there.

How do you change the macOS system language?

Apple uses the order of Preferred Languages as a fallback list. macOS shows the first language where it is supported, then tries the next language if a component or app lacks that localization.［2］ This is why adding a language at the bottom may not visibly change anything.

In Language & Region, click the add button below Preferred Languages.
Select the language you need and add it. If macOS asks whether to make it the primary language, choose that only if you want menus and supported system text to change.
If necessary, drag the new language to the top of Preferred Languages. Keep a known language immediately below it as a fallback.
Accept a restart prompt if macOS presents one. Otherwise, log out and back in or restart after saving work when important system components still show the old language.
After signing in, check Finder, System Settings, a menu-bar item, and one built-in app. A single translated dialog is not enough to prove that the preferred order is correct.

Some text can remain in another language because an app, plug-in, website, or document does not support the primary language. That is expected fallback behavior, not necessarily a failed setting. If the wrong language appears broadly, return to the same panel and move the previous language back to the top.

The order can also influence language choices on supported websites and how certain scripts are handled. It does not automatically add the keyboard layout you want for typing. Review Keyboard settings separately and remove no familiar input source until you can type your password and recovery information reliably.

How do you change app language on Mac for one app?

Use an app override when the system language is correct but one app should be different. This is useful for testing a localization, matching a colleague's interface, or keeping a specialist app in the language used by its documentation.

Quit the target app or save its work.
Open System Settings > General > Language & Region.
Under Applications, click the add button.
Choose the app, choose a language that the app supports, and click Add.
Reopen the app. If it was already open when you changed the setting, quit and reopen it before judging whether the change worked.
Check menus, settings, and one task-specific screen. Content inside documents or an online account may have its own language control and may not follow macOS.

To change the override later, select another language from the app's menu. To return to normal fallback behavior, remove the app from the Applications list; it will again use the first supported language from Preferred Languages. If the requested language is missing, update the app and confirm its supported languages with the developer rather than repeatedly changing the system language.

Which Mac region settings change dates, numbers, and currency?

Choose Region for the geographic convention whose formats you want to use. The preview should update so you can inspect the effect before relying on it. Apple exposes additional choices such as Calendar, Temperature, Measurement System, First Day of Week, Date Format, and Number Format; availability can depend on the selected language and region.

Change only the fields your workflow requires:

Select the intended Region and inspect date, time, number, and currency previews.
Choose a calendar and first day of week if your scheduling workflow requires a different convention.
Set measurement and temperature independently when the available controls allow it.
Review date and number formats carefully. A comma can be a decimal separator in one format and a thousands separator in another.
Reopen spreadsheet, finance, calendar, and reporting apps, then test a non-destructive sample.

Existing values are not necessarily converted. A spreadsheet may preserve stored numbers while displaying them differently; a CSV file may interpret separators during import; a website may use its account profile or browser language. Keep the original data and verify an export before replacing a production file.

Region settings also do not change your time zone by themselves. If clock time is wrong, check General > Date & Time and the time zone. If maps or local recommendations are wrong, inspect Location Services and the app's own region preferences. Do not use Language & Region as a substitute for those controls.

How do you restart and verify the result safely?

Verification should match the layer you changed.

Quit and reopen every app with a new language or format. Do not force-quit an app while it is saving.
If system menus remain inconsistent, save work and restart the Mac once.
For a system-language change, check Finder, System Settings, the login session, and at least one built-in app.
For an app override, check only that app and confirm that another app still follows the system preference.
For regional formats, create a disposable test with a date, a decimal number, a currency value, and a calendar event. Export only a copy.
Confirm that your keyboard input source, time zone, location permission, and App Store country have not been unintentionally treated as part of this result.

If an app shows the old language after reopening, update it, check whether it supports the chosen localization, and remove then re-add only that app's override. If the App Store itself will not download an update, use the focused Mac App Store download and update guide instead of changing Region again.

To roll back, restore the previous Preferred Languages order, remove unwanted app overrides, and select the former Region or individual formats. Reopen affected apps and repeat the same small verification. A successful rollback should restore display behavior without changing purchases, account country, or personal files.

FAQ

Does changing the Mac region change my Apple Account country?

No. Language & Region controls presentation and local formats. Apple Account and App Store country changes have separate eligibility, balance, subscription, payment, and purchase consequences. Use that dedicated process only when changing the storefront is the actual goal.

Why is part of macOS still in the old language?

The component may not support the first preferred language, so macOS falls back to the next supported language. Restart after saving work, then check the preferred order. Third-party apps and web content can also use their own language settings.

Can I keep macOS in English and use one app in another language?

Yes, if that app includes the localization. Add it under Applications in Language & Region, choose the language, and reopen the app. Removing the override returns the app to the normal preferred-language order.

Does changing Region change my keyboard layout?

No. Keyboard input sources are managed separately. Add and test the required input source before removing a familiar layout, especially if your password contains characters that are difficult to locate on another keyboard map.

Does changing Region alter GPS or my network location?

No. It does not relocate the Mac, change an IP address, or grant location permission. Location Services, an app's permissions, time zone, and network path are independent layers.

Why do dates look different in only one app?

That app may have its own format preference, account setting, document locale, or cached display. Reopen it, inspect its preferences, and test a new disposable document before changing system-wide formats again.

Must I restart after changing the language?

An individual app normally needs to quit and reopen. A system-language change may prompt for a restart, and restarting is reasonable when saved work is closed but system components remain inconsistent. Do not interrupt an active save or update.

How do I undo an unfamiliar language?

Return to System Settings > General > Language & Region and move your previous language to the top. If the menus are hard to identify, use the same icon and panel positions or follow these instructions from another device, then restart after saving work.

Related guides

Sources

Apple, “Change Language & Region settings on Mac” — https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/intl163/mac
Apple, “Change the language your Mac uses” — https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-the-system-language-mh26684/mac

Sources checked 4 October 2026.

How to Change Region in Language and Region Settings on Mac