How to change the language and ‘region’ on your Mac, for multilingual users and those living abroad

• You can change the primary language on your Mac computer, or add a secondary language, from the System Preferences menu.
• Changing the language on your Mac will effect menus and pop-ups, as well as your time zone and units of measurement.
• Once you’ve changed or added a language to your Mac, you’ll need to restart your computer to enable it.  
• You can also change your Mac’s region, which will effect how things like measurements and temperatures are displayed.
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When you first buy a brand new Mac computer, the language and region is already set to the country you bought it in — in the US, this is going to be US English. 

If you’re moving to a new country, or would just like to change or add a language to your Mac for any number of reasons, you can do so through your computer’s settings. 

Note, however, that apps within macOS will not support every language. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

MacBook Pro (From $1,299 at Apple)

How to change or add a language on Mac

1. First, open System Preferences and navigate to Language & Region — the icon displaying a blue flag with a globe inside. 

2. On the menu on the left side, find the “+” button. 

3. Scroll through the list to find the language you wish to add to your Mac.

4. After you've selected a language to add, a drop-down menu will ask if you'd like to make it the primary language on your Mac. If so, click it. 

5. Next, a pop-up will ask if you'd like the add the language's "Input source" — the keyboard. If so, click "Add Input Source" or "Not Now." 

6. To add another language, just click the "+" again and follow the above steps. 

How to change the region on your Mac 

If you bought your Mac in the United States, but plan to move abroad, you can change the region using System Preferences.

1. Go to System Preferences > Languages & Region.

2. In the right menu, find "Region" and click the two blue arrows. 

3. In the drop-down menu, select the continent, then country.

4. This will change the time zone, calendar, and temperature format of your Mac. 

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

• How to change the language on your iPhone, and separately change the language that Siri speaks and understands

• How to change the primary language on your Netflix profile, on desktop and mobile

• How to clear the cache on your Mac computer to make it run more efficiently

• How to restore your Mac computer from a Time Machine backup