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Fix Excel Not Using English (United Kingdom) Regional Settings
Question details
The user is experiencing incorrect date formatting in Excel after migrating Google Sheets files to Microsoft 365. Excel fails to apply English (United Kingdom) regional settings and instead displays an unexpected Armenian locale.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Opening and viewing migrated Google Sheets files in Microsoft 365.
- Observed behavior
- Excel retains English (United States) or displays an Armenian locale, resulting in incorrect date formats that cannot be easily changed to English (UK) defaults.
Ensure your Windows operating system is fully updated and check that your default Windows region is set to the United Kingdom before adjusting application-specific settings.
Adjust Windows and Excel Regional Language Settings
Synchronize your Windows system locale with Excel's language settings to ensure default date formats are applied correctly across all new and opened workbooks.
Excel often relies on the underlying Windows operating system to determine how dates, times, and currencies are formatted. If there is a mismatch between Windows and Microsoft 365 settings, downloaded files may default to incorrect locales.
Open Windows Settings, go to 'Time & Language', and select 'Region'. Change the 'Regional format' dropdown to 'English (United Kingdom)'.
Open Microsoft Excel, click on 'File' in the top-left corner, and select 'Options' at the bottom of the menu.
Navigate to the 'Language' tab in the Excel Options window.
Under 'Office display language' and 'Office authoring languages and proofing', ensure English (United Kingdom) is added and set as the preferred language.
Click 'OK' and restart Microsoft Excel for the new regional settings to take effect.
Manually Change the Locale for Specific Worksheet Cells
If the issue only affects specific migrated files, the workbook itself might have hardcoded locales inherited during the Google Sheets export process.
Easily Manage Date Formats and Regional Settings with WPS Spreadsheet
Avoid locale conflicts and formatting errors by using WPS Spreadsheet. It provides straightforward cell formatting and full compatibility with Microsoft Excel files, ensuring your migrated Google Sheets data looks exactly as intended.
- 1. Open the Migrated File: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open the file you migrated from Google Sheets.
- 2. Select Format Cells: Highlight the cells with the incorrect dates, right-click, and select 'Format Cells'.
- 3. Adjust Locale Settings: Go to the 'Number' tab, click on 'Date', and choose 'English (U.K.)' from the Locale dropdown menu.
- 4. Apply the Fix: Click 'OK' to instantly fix the date formatting for all selected cells.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do migrated Google Sheets files show the wrong date format in Excel?
When downloading Google Sheets as Excel files, the original locale settings might not translate perfectly to Microsoft 365. This causes Excel to default to English (U.S.) or another region based on the document's hidden metadata or your browser's language settings at the time of download.
Does changing the Windows region affect all my Office applications?
Yes, changing your system's regional format in Windows Settings will update the default date, time, and currency formats across all Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
How do I remove an unexpected locale like Armenian from my Excel file?
You can override unexpected locales by selecting the affected cells, opening the Format Cells dialog (Ctrl+1), and manually changing the Locale (Location) setting under the Date or Time formats back to your preferred region, such as English (United Kingdom).
