What is the System Locale?

The system locale (sometimes referred to as the system default locale), determines which codepages and associated bitmap font files are used as defaults for the system. A codepage is a character set that can include numbers, punctuation marks, and other glyphs. These codepages and fonts enable applications to run as they would on a system localized to the language of the system locale.

The system locale is defined when installing Windows, but can later be modified in the Regional Settings Control Panel.

Note: Changing the system locale requires a reboot and only those system locales for which appropriate language groups have been installed will be available to choose from.