Installer language selection

[Synchromesh]

I recently bought a Mac with a Korean keyboard. Basically it's no big deal as it still has standard QWERTY markings. But the issue I have is in the OS X installer. It defaults to Korean and since I can't read it - it's a bit annoying. Is there anyway to change the installer default language? I know previous installers had a language selection menu at the beginning but the current EC one doesn't seem to do that and I can't find any options to do so.

Yes, I know there is an input option on the right side of the top menu but that only changes input. The screens are still in Korean.

 

[CoastalOR]

I do not know of a way to add the language selection back for the El Capitan installer.

Have you taken a look at the System Preferences?:
Language & Region>Preferred Language - What does it show?
Keyboard>Input Sources & Text - What does it show?

 

[Synchromesh]

I was able to change the language inside the OS after the install. My trouble is default language in the installer itself. I think there is a setting on the logic board somewhere that triggers the language selection in the installer. I wonder if it can be reset to English.

 

[CoastalOR]

Did you check System Preferences I posted?

Edit: I did a Google and found this:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202036

 

[Synchromesh]

I tried what it says in there. It didn't help. I think that's for setup on earlier OSs and only AFTER the install, not before.

 

[Nermal]

How are you launching the installer? If you make a USB drive using the createinstallmedia tool, then I think you'll be asked to select language on boot (unfortunately I wiped my drive yesterday so can't double-check). If you're getting to it some other way, then I'm not sure.

 

[CoastalOR]

I tried what it says in there. It didn't help. I think that's for setup on earlier OSs and only AFTER the install, not before.

I thought the purpose of this thread was to change something that would change the language used by the installer.

You still have not answered the question I have asked twice about what you saw when checking the System Preferences.

I launched the full 10.11.2 installer in the Application folder, in fact, it did not ask for a language, like previous OS installers did before El Capitan. The first screen is a window that asks if you want to install El Capitan and there is only one button to select and that is "Continue". The install app can be Quit in the app menu or command+q.

I'm using OS 10.11.2 and I did open terminal and entered "sudo language setup" (without quotes) and it did give me language choices after entering my admin password. You didn't say if there was a problem using the terminal command, so I will assume it worked, but you still have a problem with the installer and you must be launching the full installer to test.

I'm done, good luck.

EDIT: I did try booting from a 10.11.2 USB installer and selected Install OS X and it did not ask for a language.

 

[Synchromesh]

Thanks. I tried the sudo language setup just after going into terminal after install. It says "command not found". I tried a few variations with and without sudo but it's a no go. Either I'm doing it wrong or that command doesn't exist.

The installer is downloaded directly from Apple and was put onto a USB disk using this command:
sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app --nointeraction

 

[DeltaMac]

I just tried booting to my El Capitan installer.
It bypassed the language selection (saw it briefly in the menubar), and then opened to the installer screen.
And - you would normally click on Continue, OR you can then click on the Back button. Did you see that?
That then takes you (back) to the only possibility: And, voila! the Language chooser screen...

How's that for a backwards entrance?

 

[CoastalOR]

I just tried booting to my El Capitan installer.
It bypassed the language selection (saw it briefly in the menubar), and then opened to the installer screen.
And - you would normally click on Continue, OR you can then click on the Back button. Did you see that?
That then takes you (back) to the only possibility: And, voila! the Language chooser screen...
How's that for a backwards entrance?

I did not find the back button, but I did find when booting from the USB installer>OS X Utilities>File>Change Languages...

That was not available when running the Install OS X El Capitan app from the Applications folder.

Interesting. Thanks for the clues. Learn something every day.

 

[Synchromesh]

the back button worked perfectly! Thanks!

 

[nuxx]

Had the same problem as the OP but with a Japanese MacBook Pro and the macOS Sierra installer.

Was able to set the language using sudo languagesetup in Terminal, but this had no effect on the installer. Was unable to find the back button in the installer as DeltaMac suggested, but thanks to CoastalOR I changed the language using the Japanese equivalent of File > Change Language...; the 3rd menu option from the left in the installer and the 1st menu item of the resulting sub-menu.

Thanks.

 

[Dr. Sassafras]

I was unable to change the install language with any of the above suggestions, but this one came close.

To reproduce:

1. Hold option key when booting the mac.
2. Boot from the recovery partition
3. Select your language by following the quote below:

... equivalent of File > Change Language...; the 3rd menu option from the left in the installer and the 1st menu item of the resulting sub-menu.

4. Then you can select if you want to perform a fresh install, or if you want to recover from Time Machine.

Hope this helps someone.

 

[raister]

I recently bought a Mac with a Korean keyboard. Basically it's no big deal as it still has standard QWERTY markings. But the issue I have is in the OS X installer. It defaults to Korean and since I can't read it - it's a bit annoying. Is there anyway to change the installer default language? I know previous installers had a language selection menu at the beginning but the current EC one doesn't seem to do that and I can't find any options to do so.

Yes, I know there is an input option on the right side of the top menu but that only changes input. The screens are still in Korean.

Reset your NVRAM (cmd+option+R+P on boot) and will have English in recovery. After that system will ask you to select your language. (old post but meaby will be usefull for others)

 

[Nermal]

Reset your NVRAM (cmd+option+R+P on boot) and will have English in recovery. After that system will ask you to select your language. (old post but meaby will be usefull for others)

That explains it! I always reset NVRAM as a matter of course when reinstalling, which would be why I was asked to select the language