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Can't change browser's interface language fully

  • 3 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 216 views
  • Last reply by zersiax

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Hi,

I am in the Netherlands and by default, the Firefox that is downloaded from the main page is in Dutch. I dislike having my applications in Dutch so I tend to set them to English at the earliest opportunity but Firefox seems to be stuck somewhere halfway in between. Here's what I did/tried: - First downloaded the regular Firefox, set it up, changed the language to English in settings and went on setting up. After a number of tweaks and addon installs I restarted the browser. - The browser is now in what I would call Dunglish; the settings page and various other things are in English, but the menubar and various other standard controls are not, they are still in Dutch. - I went into about:config and changed the intl.locale.requested value to only say En-US, before it had NL tacked onto the end of that. No change. - I downloaded the language pack addon and restarted the browser. No change. - I downloaded the US version of Firefox and installed it on top of the other, Dutch, version. No change.

I'd really rather not remove my profile entirely and start from scratch as I've been working on setting it up just the way I like it for half a day now and I'd rather not redo all that. What can I do? So to summarize, I know of the language-specific browser version and installed it without results, I know of the article describing how to use Firefox in another language, I know of the language packs and I know of the intl.locale.requested variable already. None of these solutions have solved the problem. Thanks a lot for reading and for any help you can provide.

Zersiax

Hi, I am in the Netherlands and by default, the Firefox that is downloaded from the main page is in Dutch. I dislike having my applications in Dutch so I tend to set them to English at the earliest opportunity but Firefox seems to be stuck somewhere halfway in between. Here's what I did/tried: - First downloaded the regular Firefox, set it up, changed the language to English in settings and went on setting up. After a number of tweaks and addon installs I restarted the browser. - The browser is now in what I would call Dunglish; the settings page and various other things are in English, but the menubar and various other standard controls are not, they are still in Dutch. - I went into about:config and changed the intl.locale.requested value to only say En-US, before it had NL tacked onto the end of that. No change. - I downloaded the language pack addon and restarted the browser. No change. - I downloaded the US version of Firefox and installed it on top of the other, Dutch, version. No change. I'd really rather not remove my profile entirely and start from scratch as I've been working on setting it up just the way I like it for half a day now and I'd rather not redo all that. What can I do? So to summarize, I know of the language-specific browser version and installed it without results, I know of the article describing how to use Firefox in another language, I know of the language packs and I know of the intl.locale.requested variable already. None of these solutions have solved the problem. Thanks a lot for reading and for any help you can provide. Zersiax

Chosen solution

Hmm, since you tried it installing en-US already and still somehow had a Dutch UI, could you try it this way:

Clean Reinstall

This takes about 5 minutes. It's not about your settings, it's about making sure the program files are clean (no inconsistent or alien code files). As described below, this process does not disturb your existing settings. It's not essential to uninstall Firefox, but you can if you like, saying No to any request about removing personal data.

(A) Download a fresh installer for Firefox to a convenient location:

https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/

(B) Exit out of Firefox (if applicable).

If you use Microsoft Office, please change your default browser to Internet Explorer temporarily before the next step.

(C) Using Windows Explorer/My Computer (hold down the Windows key and press E to launch it), right-click > rename the program folder as follows (you might have one or both):

C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox =to=> C:\Program Files (x86)\OldFirefox

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox =to=> C:\Program Files\OldFirefox

(D) Run the installer you downloaded in step (A). It should automatically connect to your existing settings.

Any improvement at your next startup?

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All Replies (3)

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Hi Zersiax, I would have thought the Language Pack would take care of it, but as an English-US user, I've never tried it myself.

What we usually suggest is to run a different program installer over the top of your current installation. Your data should be preserved, but I suppose it's not a bad idea to make a backup just in case.

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Chosen Solution

Hmm, since you tried it installing en-US already and still somehow had a Dutch UI, could you try it this way:

Clean Reinstall

This takes about 5 minutes. It's not about your settings, it's about making sure the program files are clean (no inconsistent or alien code files). As described below, this process does not disturb your existing settings. It's not essential to uninstall Firefox, but you can if you like, saying No to any request about removing personal data.

(A) Download a fresh installer for Firefox to a convenient location:

https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/

(B) Exit out of Firefox (if applicable).

If you use Microsoft Office, please change your default browser to Internet Explorer temporarily before the next step.

(C) Using Windows Explorer/My Computer (hold down the Windows key and press E to launch it), right-click > rename the program folder as follows (you might have one or both):

C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox =to=> C:\Program Files (x86)\OldFirefox

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox =to=> C:\Program Files\OldFirefox

(D) Run the installer you downloaded in step (A). It should automatically connect to your existing settings.

Any improvement at your next startup?

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That's the one thing I hadn't thought of doing yet; I figured installing the one over the other would replace the entire program files directory, I guess it only applies what it perceives as the folder's delta. Solved it for me, thanks for the quick reply :)