---
title: "Check locale compatibility"
slug: "check-locale-compatibility"
tags: ["Totara Platform", "Site Administrator", "How-to"]
updated: 2025-07-22T10:52:18Z
published: 2025-07-22T11:18:01Z
canonical: "totara.help/check-locale-compatibility"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://totara.help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Check locale compatibility

In Totara you can use language packs to localise your site for other languages. Any language packs you use will include the name of the operating system locale, which is used for formatting dates. If the server's locale name is different to the locale name found in the language pack, a number of errors can arise where dates are displayed on your site (e.g. on the calendar).

1. Go to *Quick-access menu > Localisation > Locale compatibility check*.
2. Check the **Local test** column of the table - if this says OK then you do not have any errors.

If you identify any errors while using this tool you can address the problem by installing the appropriate locale on your server.

Alternatively, if you want to use a custom language locale you can change them by locally overriding the language pack. Follow these steps:

1. Go to *Quick-access menu > Localisation > Language customisation*.
2. Select the language pack you need to fix from the dropdown list.
3. Click **Open language pack for editing**.
4. Once the language pack has loaded, click **Continue**.
5. Select the **langconfig.php** component and locate the **locale** string using the **String identifier** filter.
6. Click **Show strings**.
7. Change the value of the **locale** string (or **localewin** on Windows), using the equivalent locale name from the **Available server locales** list on the **Locale compatibility check** page.
8. Click **Save changes to the language pack**.

For some locales in Totara, date formats require a leading zero (e.g. 07/04/21). However, by default Totara strips out leading zeros.

To prevent the leading zero being stripped out, set the following setting in **\totara_www\config.example.php**:

**$CFG->nofixday = true;**

![Course badge](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/course-badge_localisation.svg?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T14%3A48%3A21Z&se=2026-11-01T15%3A48%3A21Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ras1R080DGYv6899uEEUs5Msd8dUceLNEhXqSdkQkIg%3D)The Totara Academy has a course dedicated to [Localisation](https://totara.community/course/view.php?id=568) in Totara. Here you can learn more on how to localise your system, see best practice, and give it a go yourself.

Join the [Totara Community](https://totara.community/) for more resources to help you get the most out of Totara.

© Copyright 2026 Totara Learning Solutions. All rights reserved.