Mac OS X (10.9) - Changing System Language

This document describes how to change the operating system language on Mac OS 10.9 (Mavericks).
On the initial start of Mac OS 10.9, the operating system will prompt for a default system language. If this initial option needs to be changed later on, it can be done through the system preferences application.

Change System Language

  1. Open the Apple menu by clicking on the apple icon at the top left corner of the screen.
  2. From the drop-down menu, select System Preferences.

    Select System Preferences

  3. When the System Preferences window appears, click on Language and Region, which can be found in the top row of the window.

    Select Language and Region

  4. Add a new system language in Language and Region by clicking on the + icon.

    Click the plus sign

  5. Pick the desired language from the populated list and click Add. Only the following languages are fully supported: 
    1. A: Arabic
    2. C: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), and Czech
    3. D: Danish and Dutch
    4. E: English
    5. F: Finnish and French
    6. G: German
    7. H: Hebrew and Hungarian
    8. I: Italian
    9. J: Japanese
    10. K: Korean
    11. N: Norwegian
    12. P: Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), and Portuguese (European)
    13. R: Russian
    14. S: Spanish and Swedish
    15. T: Turkish
  6. After pressing Add, a prompt asking which language to use will populate your screen. Choose the new language simply by clicking on it.

    Choose and add the new language

  7. Restart the Mac OS 10.9 machine in order for the language change to take place. This can be done by clicking on the Apple menu and then Restart.

    Restart the Mac OS 10.9 machine


Keywords:
Language Change Mac OS 10.9 Mavericks macintosh english Persian China 
Doc ID:
43834
Owned by:
Help Desk KB Team in DoIT Help Desk
Created:
2014-10-05
Updated:
2026-06-04
Sites:
DoIT Help Desk