Windows 8: Customise it for your region

Windows is very similar in all parts of the world, but it is not quite the same. There are regional variations, such as the keyboard layout, currency, spelling, and of course, the language. You can add new regional settings or replace the one that is currently set if it is wrong or simply if you move.

You should have read the article showing how to change your language settings because customising Windows for your region involves many settings. Assuming you have already set the language, select the Desktop from the Start screen. Move the mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen and when the Start screen tile is displayed, right click it and select Control Panel from the menu that is displayed.

Select small icons view in the top right corner of the Control Panel and then click Language. On the left is Change date, time, or number formats. Click it.

This displays the Region window and right at the top are three tabs. Make sure the Formats tab is selected and select your country from the Region drop-down list. This changes some settings, but not all of them. For example, the first day of the week may be set to Monday (because it's the start of the work week), but you may prefer to set it to Sunday.

You should also set your home location. Select the Location tab and select your country from the drop-down list.

One last task is on the Administrative tab. There is an option to copy the regional settings to the Welcome screen, system accounts and user accounts. Click the Copy settings button. There is also a button to change the system locale.

After changing the language and region settings, you will find a new addition to the welcome screen where you select your account and log in to Windows. There is a language button, which when clicked, allows you to choose between languages and keyboard layouts. Make sure the right one is selected.