How to Set the Default Locale in Tableau Desktop

Tableau checks the following, in order, to determine the workbook locale:

1. Workbook Locale (explicit setting)
2. Windows system locale and location, or Mac region
3. Tableau Language

If none of the above is set, then the workbook locale defaults to English (United States).

Therefore to set the default locale when creating new workbooks:

In Windows

1. Select Start > Control Panel > Clock, Language and Region
2. Select Region, the Region and Language options dialog appears:
   • Windows 10 & Windows 8: Click Region 
   • Windows 7: Click Region and Language
3. Click the Administrative tab, and under the Language for non-Unicode programs section, click Change system locale and select the desired system locale.
4. Click the Location tab, and select the desired current location.
5. Click OK and restart the computer to apply the change.

In Mac

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Click Language & Region.
3. Click Region near the upper right corner of the window to change it.