How to change the language of your desktop on ArcoLinux or Arch Linux – ANY DESKTOP

Choose the correct language in Calamares

Best tip ever

We would like to change our language from English to French.

First you check if the desktop provides you an application – in settings or so to change the language.

Secondly we check if there is an application missing from Arch Linux repo’s or from AUR.

Thirdly we use the information from the Arch Wiki.

let us use the arch wiki

remember the word locale

The page you need now is the locale from Arch Wiki.

We recommend you see at least one video from an all-in-one Arch Linux installation. It provides you with all the essential information of your system.

Or you can just look at the Arch Way installation Phase 1 and look for the word locale

We select the proper language in this long list.

sudo nano /etc/locale.gen

Then we generate a new language  with

sudo locale-gen

calamares added the language
at the bottom

We edit /etc/locale.conf manually to reflect the language we want. No typos allowed.

sudo nano /etc/locale.conf

We change the language in this file and save it.

We unset the variabel LANG – no language afterwards anymore.

unset LANG

Not sure if the next line is still needed here – you will be the judge of that – I think it was the autologin lightdm that was playing tricks on me.

sudo locale-gen

Than we reboot.

IF you use autologin
logout and log back in
do that even twice

If you autlogin, then log back out.

You may have to do this even twice before your language kicks in.