Applies to Windows 7

Change the display of dates, times, currency, and measurements

You can change the format Windows uses to display dates, times, currency, and measurements. You can also change the sorting order of text to match sorting rules used in a specific country or region.

  1. Open Region and Language by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Clock, Language, and Region, and then clicking Region and Language.

  2. Click the Formats tab, and then, in the Format list, select the locale to use for the display of the date, time, currency, and measurements.

    Note

    Note

    • With this version of Windows, administrators can set custom locales. There are two types of custom locales: supplemental locales and replacement locales. Supplemental locales contain locale data that isn't available with any of the current locales and have unique names. For example, an enterprise might create a supplemental locale to meet the specific needs of all of its employees. Replacement locales are customizations of the locales that are included with this version of Windows. For example, if an enterprise wants to make a small change to an existing locale, such as making sure that its employees use the 24-hour clock, the enterprise could make this change using a replacement locale. If you're using either a supplemental or replacement locale, the name of the locale will have an asterisk next to it in the format list.

  3. Select the date and time formats that you want to use. Windows uses the following notations to specify how dates and times are displayed:

    Time notations This Displays

    h

    Hour (hh displays the hour with a leading zero)

    m

    Minute (mm displays the minute with a leading zero)

    s

    Second (ss displays the second with a leading zero)

    tt

    A.M. or P.M.

    h/H

    12 or 24 hour time display
    Date notations This Displays

    d, dd

    Day

    ddd, dddd

    Day of the week

    M

    Month

    y

    Year

  4. To further customize how the date, time, currency, and measurements are displayed, click Additional settings, and then do one of the following:

    • To change the way your computer displays numbers, click the Numbers tab. Items you might want to change based on the format language you choose include the decimal symbol and list separator, the format used for negative numbers and leading zeros, and the measurement system used (U.S. or metric).

    • To change the way your computer displays currency values, click the Currency tab. Items you might want to change based on the format language you choose include the currency symbol, the formats used for positive or negative amounts, and the punctuation used to separate numbers.

    • To change the way your computer displays the time, click the Time tab. For more information about setting the clock, see Set the clock.

    • To change the way your computer displays the date, click the Date tab.

      Note

      Note

      • If you choose a locale that uses eras to represent dates, then "gg" will be used as the notation to indicate an era in the short and long date settings.