Office Settings & Configuration

How to Fix Excel for Mac Regional Date and Decimal Settings

John Wilson Oct 10, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user needs to configure Excel for Mac to correctly interpret non-US regional dates and decimal separators when using an English macOS interface.

Fix Excel for Mac Regional Date and Decimal Settings

Product: Microsoft Excel for Mac
Device & OS: macOS
Scenario: Inputting dates and decimals in Excel spreadsheets expecting local regional formats (e.g., DD/MM/YYYY for Denmark) while using an English UI.
Observed behavior: Excel for Mac incorrectly defaults to US date formatting and ignores custom macOS regional formats for dates and decimal separators.

Before you start

Ensure you have saved your work and fully closed Microsoft Excel on your Mac before modifying system preferences or running Terminal commands.

Solution 1Recommended

Set the macOS Locale using Terminal

Directly modify the hidden AppleLocale preference to ensure Excel recognizes your specific language and region combination.

Excel for Mac relies heavily on the underlying macOS locale string. When macOS generates a combined locale (like en_US@rg=dkzzzz), Excel may fail to parse it and fall back to US defaults.

Open Terminal

Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities and launch the Terminal application.

Check current locale

Type the command `defaults read .GlobalPreferences AppleLocale` and press Enter to see how macOS is currently identifying your region.

Set the correct locale

Type `defaults write .GlobalPreferences AppleLocale en_DK` (replace 'en_DK' with your desired language and country code, such as 'en_GB' or 'da_DK') and press Enter.

Restart Excel

Relaunch Excel for Mac and enter a date like 25/11 to verify that it now formats the date correctly according to your region.

Locale Code Format: The locale code consists of the language code followed by the country code. For example, en_DK tells the system to use an English interface with Danish regional formats.

Solution 2

Adjust macOS Preferred Language Settings

Remove conflicting English variants in macOS System Settings that might force Excel into US formatting.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office for Seamless Regional Formatting on Mac

Tired of using Terminal commands just to get dates formatted correctly? WPS Office for Mac intelligently respects your system's regional settings without requiring complex workarounds. Enjoy a powerful, lightweight, and hassle-free spreadsheet experience.

1. Download and Install: Get WPS Office for Mac from the official website and install it on your machine.
2. Open Your Excel File: Right-click your .xlsx file and select Open With > WPS Office.
3. Enjoy Native Formatting: Input your dates and decimals; WPS Spreadsheets will automatically recognize your Mac's preferred regional formats.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xls, .csv) formats.Intelligently syncs with macOS regional date, time, and decimal settings natively.Free, lightweight, and features a familiar tabbed user interface.No complex Terminal commands needed to fix basic formatting preferences.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Excel for Mac ignore my macOS regional settings?

Unlike the Windows version, Excel for Mac lacks a built-in international settings menu. It relies entirely on the macOS 'AppleLocale' system string. If macOS uses a combined locale string (like en_US@rg=dkzzzz) for mixed language and region settings, Excel fails to interpret it and defaults to US formatting.

How do I change decimal separators in Excel for Mac?

Because Excel for Mac inherits OS settings, you must change decimal separators globally. Go to System Settings > General > Language & Region on your Mac, adjust the Number format to your desired decimal separator (comma or period), and restart Excel.

Does changing the AppleLocale via Terminal affect other Mac applications?

Yes. The 'defaults write .GlobalPreferences AppleLocale' command modifies the default region format for your entire macOS user account. While this fixes Excel, you may notice date, time, and number formatting changes in other native and third-party Mac applications.