Change the display of dates, times, currency, and measurements

In one of our articles we've discussed about how to Customize the Date, Time and Related Settings. In this tutorial I will show how to configure related settings such as the way dates, time, numbers and currency are shown for your user account.

Where to Find the Dates, Times & Currency Settings

Open Control Panel and go to 'Clock, Language, and Region'. There you can either click on 'Region and Language' or 'Change the date, time, or number format'.

Another way to go about this is to search for 'region' in the Start Menu search box and click on the 'Region and Language' search results.

The 'Region and Language' window will open and look similar to the one below.

Changing the Dates & Times Format

The dates and times format can be changed from the Formats tab. The easy way to change these settings is to first choose from the Format drop-down list the country your are from.

Once done, Windows 7 will automatically populate the date and time fields with the formats specific to your country. If you are not satisfied with the defaults, you can customize each of the date and time fields with the formats you desire.

When you make a change, Windows 7 will show how things will look like with your current settings in the Examples section below. Play with them until you get it right and, when done, click OK.

Changing the Numbers & Currency Format

You can also change the way numbers are displayed and the default currency for your user account. To have them changed, keep the Format tab open and click on the 'Additional settings' button on the lower-right side of the window.

The 'Customize Format' window will now open. In the Numbers tab, you can change everything you desire about how numbers are displayed by Windows 7: from the decimal symbol to the format for negative numbers and measurement system. Play around with the settings until you get them right.

If you don't like the settings you've made, you can always click the Reset button on the bottom-right side of the window.

In the Currency tab, you will see all settings related to the default currency used by Windows 7 for your account. The currency will be specific to the country and format you've set for your account. You can change the symbol, the format, grouping symbol, etc. Play with the settings until you achieve the desired effect and, when done, click on OK.

Again, you can use the Reset button if you don't like the changes you've made.

Additional Settings for Time & Date

In the 'Customize Format' window there are also tabs for Tide & Date. If you click on Time you will find the same settings as in the Formats tab of the 'Region and Language' window. However, you also have the possibility to change the symbol used for AM and PM.

In the Date tab there is just one additional option which tells Windows 7 how to interpret when a two-digit year is entered.

Conclusion

As you can see from this tutorial, changing your settings related to the display of dates, time, currency and numbers is not very difficult. However, the configuration windows are not that well optimized and some of the settings are redundant, showing up in more than one place, creating a bit of clutter instead of simplification.

I hope I managed to explain things in a simple manner. If you have any questions about these settings, don't hesitate to leave a comment.

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Customize the Date, Time and All Related Settings