Configure the default language (server configuration option)

Applies to: SQL Server

This topic describes how to configure the default language server configuration option in SQL Server by using SQL Server Management Studio or Transact-SQL. The default language option specifies the default language for all newly created logins. To set default language, specify the langid value of the language you want. The langid value can be obtained by querying the sys.syslanguages compatibility view.

In This Topic

Before You Begin

Recommendations

  • The default language for a login can be overridden by using CREATE LOGIN or ALTER LOGIN. The default language for a session is the language for that session's login, unless overridden on a per-session basis by using the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) or OLE DB APIs. Note that you can only set the default language option to a language ID defined in sys.syslanguages (0-32). When you are using contained databases, a default language can be set for a database by using CREATE DATABASE or ALTER DATABASE, and for contained database users by using CREATE USER or ALTER USER. Setting default languages in a contained database accepts langid value, the language name, or a language alias as listed in sys.syslanguages.

Security

Permissions

Execute permissions on sp_configure with no parameters or with only the first parameter are granted to all users by default. To execute sp_configure with both parameters to change a configuration option or to run the RECONFIGURE statement, a user must be granted the ALTER SETTINGS server-level permission. The ALTER SETTINGS permission is implicitly held by the sysadmin and serveradmin fixed server roles.

Using SQL Server Management Studio

To configure the default language option

  1. In Object Explorer, right-click a server and select Properties.

  2. Click the Advanced tab.

  3. In the Default language box, choose the language in which Microsoft SQL Server should display system messages.

    The default language is English.

Using Transact-SQL

To configure the default language option

  1. Connect to the Database Engine.

  2. From the Standard bar, click New Query.

  3. Copy and paste the following example into the query window and click Execute. This example shows how to use sp_configure to configure the default language option to French (2).

USE AdventureWorks2022;  
GO  
EXEC sp_configure 'default language', 2 ;  
GO  
RECONFIGURE ;  
GO  

For more information, see Server Configuration Options (SQL Server).

Follow Up: After you configure the default language option

The setting takes effect immediately without restarting the server.

See Also

CREATE LOGIN (Transact-SQL)
ALTER LOGIN (Transact-SQL)
CREATE USER (Transact-SQL)
ALTER USER (Transact-SQL)
CREATE DATABASE (SQL Server Transact-SQL)
ALTER DATABASE (Transact-SQL)
RECONFIGURE (Transact-SQL)
Server Configuration Options (SQL Server)
sp_configure (Transact-SQL)