Mac OS · macOS
Change the System Language on Mac
Source-checked About 3 minutes
Answer
Open Apple menu > System Settings > General > Language & Region. Add the language if needed, then drag it to the top of Preferred Languages and restart your Mac if prompted.
Open Language & Region
Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click General, then click Language & Region.
Add the language
Under Preferred Languages, click the Add button, select a language, then click Add.
Make it primary
Drag the language to the top of the Preferred Languages list.
Restart if requested
Click Restart Now if macOS asks you to restart. Some open apps might need to be quit and reopened before their language changes.
Check the interface language
After the restart, open System Settings and another app to confirm the new language is used. If one app stays in another language, quit and reopen it, then check the Applications section of Language & Region for an app-specific language override.
Video walkthrough
If it does not work
- If the preferred language does not apply, verify the language order, app-specific language, region and whether a sign-out or restart is requested. Managed Macs can restrict these settings; do not remove management profiles or change the Apple Account region to force an interface language.
Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: current macOS Language & Region guidance.
Checked against the current Apple Mac User Guide for Language & Region settings.