Change Drupal to German - how it works
The CMS Drupal is usually installed in English. We show you here how to change Drupal to German for Drupal 7. You can find illustrated instructions in our gallery.
Download the language file for Drupal 7
First download the German language file to your computer. Make sure to download the file that matches the core version.
Activate the locale module in Drupal
The Locale module is installed during the Drupal installation, but is not automatically activated.
- Click on "Modules" in the admin menu.
- Scroll down to the "Locale" module and tick the box.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and confirm the setting with "Save Configuration".
Add German as the language in Drupal 7
Next, add German as the desired language:
- Click on "Configuration" in the admin menu and then on "Languages".
- In the following window click on "Add Language", select German as the language from the pulldown menu and confirm the setting.
Translate interface
The language has been created, but Drupal still lacks the corresponding language file:
- In the admin menu go to "Configuration" again and to the menu item "Translate Interface".
- Click on the "Import" tab and import the previously downloaded * .po file. Before you confirm the import, make sure to activate the first radio button at the bottom of the page under "Mode". This overwrites the original language data during translation.
Set German as the language
The language file is now imported and installed. Now you only have to set German as the default:
- Go back to "Configuration" and there to "Languages".
- Set the radio button under "default" for the German language and save the configuration. Now you can see the result: The interface has been changed to German.
The instructions describe the language change of the interface under Drupal 7. The procedure is the same for other versions. You just have to make sure to download the appropriate language file. If you have problems installing Drupal, you will find detailed instructions here.
Latest videos
Activate the Locale module
The configuration page with your options
Add a language here.
