Microsoft AppLocale

Note: The application is now discontinued and does not run on newer Windows.

Microsoft AppLocale is a compact tool designed to help you run non-Unicode applications without having problems in displaying the characters from the app interface. The program allows you to bypass this issue by simulating a “system locale” variable for the target application.

If you are trying to run an application on your system and the GUI displays garbage characters, the problem might be related with the text encoding system. If the app does not use Unicode encoding, the operating system needs to emulate the environment required to properly display the characters.

However, the language environment in based on the “system locale” variable which needs to match the app language. Since Windows only allows one locale at a time and changing it requires a reboot and administrative rights, running a non-Unicode program can take a lot of time.

This tool is designed to detect the language of the selected executable and generate a temporary “system locale” without having to reboot your computer. If features a wizard-like interface that enables you to select the file that you want to run and specify command line arguments.

If the application fails to detect the language of the non-Unicode program, it allows you to specify the language before running it. It provides support for about one hundred languages and allows you to quickly change the “system locale” variable.

Even if this solution might seem a good option for legacy applications, the users might experience functionality limitations for some programs launched by emulating the language environment. A list of compatible apps can be found in the included documentation.

If you encounter problems with applications that were functional on a computer with a different locale, you should try Microsoft AppLocale before manually changing the “system locale” variable.