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Change the language and regional settings in Google Sheets

How to adjust language, time zone, and function format settings in Google Sheets based on your browser or Google account.

Updated over 2 weeks ago

Private browsing users

In Chrome, if you are using a Nexam spreadsheet in private browsing, the sheet’s language follows the browser language.

  1. Go to chrome://settings/

  2. Under Languages, move your preferred language (e.g., French - Canada) to the top of the list

  3. Close and reopen your browser to apply the changes

Note: This step is required because language cannot be changed directly from the sheet itself.

Users with a Google account

  1. Open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets (Nexam)

  2. Go to File > Settings

  3. Under the General tab, adjust the following:

    • Locale (e.g., Canada - French)

    • Time zone (e.g., GMT-05:00 Eastern Time)

    • Check or uncheck Always use English function names based on your preference

  4. Click Display language to access your Google account language preferences

  5. Add your preferred language and move it to the top of the list

  6. Return to the sheet and click Save and reload

Google Sheets formulas

  • To use formulas in French, make sure your account language is not set to English

  • You can uncheck Always use English function names in the settings

  • Localized functions are available in 21 languages, including French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and more

To use a calculation formula in the Spreadsheet tab, simply enter the equal sign (=) followed by the formula name.

When a formula is selected, its description appears as it does in Excel and Google Sheets. All formulas and their descriptions are available under the auto-sum icon ∑.

Reference: Google Sheets function list

Number formatting

  • In French, use commas (,) for decimals. In English, use periods (.).

  • Do not manually insert spaces to separate thousands

  • Adjust formatting via Format > Number

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