Configuring Locale is a per-user and per-org task. The steps below cover org defaults, per-user setup, and the testing that catches Locale-related bugs.
- Set the org default Locale
Setup > Company Information > Edit. Set Default Locale to the locale of your largest user population.
- Audit user Locale assignments
Query User for Locale distribution. Confirm regional users have their region locale set; global support has the locale matching their role.
- Set Locale per user
For users needing non-default Locale, edit the User record and set Locale explicitly. For bulk, use Data Loader.
- Coordinate Time Zone
Ensure Time Zone is set to match the user's actual location. Mismatches with Locale produce confusing displays.
- Test from a sample user
Use Login As. Verify date and number formats match the user's expected locale. Check reports and dashboards.
- Audit validation rules
Search for validation rules using TEXT() on dates or numbers. These are locale-dependent and may produce unexpected behavior for non-default-locale users.
- Train developers on locale awareness
Custom Lightning Components and Apex must use platform locale utilities when formatting for display. Hard-coded formats break for non-default locales.
Inherited by new users without explicit assignment.
Override on each User record.
en_US, fr_FR, ja_JP, de_DE, etc. Platform-managed list.
Derived from Locale. Cannot be overridden separately.
Decimal and thousands separators derived from Locale.
- Locale and Language are independent. Confusion between them is the most common source of "the platform is showing wrong format" tickets.
- TEXT() conversions in validation rules are locale-dependent. Avoid them; use date and number functions instead.
- Custom Lightning Components must use platform locale utilities. Hard-coded formats break for non-default locales.
- Locale changes take effect on next page load. Existing tabs continue with old locale until refreshed.
- API responses use ISO formats regardless of locale. Integration code working with Salesforce data should not depend on user locale.