Reference
RetroBar languages
RetroBar 1.22.122 ships 47 language files. By default it uses your Windows display language. If RetroBar has no translation for it, or a translation is missing some text, you see English for the missing parts. You can switch language in Properties, or add your own translation file.
On this page 4 sections
Change RetroBar's language
Open Properties
Right-click an empty part of the taskbar and choose Properties.
Pick a language
On the Taskbar tab, choose from the Language list. “System” (the default) follows Windows. The change applies straight away; no restart is needed.
How “System” works, from RetroBar's source (DictionaryManager.cs): RetroBar loads English first, then the file that matches your Windows language family (for example Deutsch for any German), then the one that matches your exact language and region if there is one. Each layer only replaces the strings it has. That is why a partly translated language never shows empty labels, and why English (United Kingdom) only needs 10 strings: it overrides the few words British English spells differently.
All 47 languages
“Translated” counts how many of the 135 strings in English.xaml each file translates, measured from the 1.22.122 source. “Since” is the first release that included the file.
| Language | Name in RetroBar | File | Translated | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic | العربية | العربية.xaml | 100% | 1.7.30 |
| Basque | euskara | euskara.xaml | 63.7% | 1.16.34 |
| Belarusian | беларуская | беларуская.xaml | 98.5% | 1.22.122 |
| Bulgarian | български | български.xaml | 41.5% | 1.9.46 |
| Catalan | català | català.xaml | 80.7% | 1.10.2 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 中文(简体) | 中文(简体).xaml | 77.8% | 1.5.6 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 中文(繁體) | 中文(繁體).xaml | 54.8% | 1.9.46 |
| Croatian | hrvatski | hrvatski.xaml | 97.8% | 1.12.39 |
| Czech | čeština | čeština.xaml | 41.5% | 1.8.45 |
| Danish | dansk | dansk.xaml | 98.5% | 1.22.122 |
| Dutch | Nederlands | Nederlands.xaml | 97% | 1.9.46 |
| English | English | English.xaml | 100% | 1.4.42 |
| English (United Kingdom) | English (United Kingdom) | English (United Kingdom).xaml | overrides | 1.8.45 |
| Finnish | Suomi | Suomi.xaml | 99.3% | 1.17.71 |
| French | français | français.xaml | 98.5% | 1.4.42 |
| German | Deutsch | Deutsch.xaml | 97.8% | 1.8.45 |
| Greek | ελληνικά | ελληνικά.xaml | 98.5% | 1.8.45 |
| Hebrew | עברית | עברית.xaml | 37% | 1.6.9 |
| Hungarian | magyar | magyar.xaml | 98.5% | 1.5.6 |
| Icelandic | íslenska | íslenska.xaml | 98.5% | 1.22.122 |
| Indonesian | Indonesia | Indonesia.xaml | 41.5% | 1.11.15 |
| Italian | italiano | italiano.xaml | 98.5% | 1.7.30 |
| Japanese | 日本語 | 日本語.xaml | 99.3% | 1.6.9 |
| Korean | 한국어 | 한국어.xaml | 99.3% | 1.9.46 |
| Latvian | latviešu | latviešu.xaml | 60.7% | 1.13.30 |
| Lithuanian | lietuvių | lietuvių.xaml | 40.7% | 1.10.2 |
| Luxembourgish | Lëtzebuergesch | Lëtzebuergesch.xaml | 64.4% | 1.14.9 |
| Macedonian | Македонски | Македонски.xaml | 98.5% | 1.22.122 |
| Malay | Melayu | Melayu.xaml | 41.5% | 1.12.39 |
| Maltese | Malti | Malti.xaml | 98.5% | 1.22.122 |
| Norwegian (Bokmål) | Norsk (bokmål) | Norsk (bokmål).xaml | 98.5% | 1.22.122 |
| Persian | فارسی | فارسی.xaml | 46.7% | 1.12.39 |
| Polish | polski | polski.xaml | 98.5% | 1.7.30 |
| Portuguese | português | português.xaml | 74.8% | 1.5.6 |
| Romanian | română | română.xaml | 98.5% | 1.9.46 |
| Russian | русский | русский.xaml | 98.5% | 1.5.6 |
| Serbian (Cyrillic) | српски | српски.xaml | 98.5% | 1.12.39 |
| Serbian (Latin) | srpski | srpski.xaml | 97.8% | 1.12.39 |
| Slovak | slovenčina | slovenčina.xaml | 62.2% | 1.13.30 |
| Slovenian | slovenščina | slovenščina.xaml | 98.5% | 1.22.122 |
| Spanish | español | español.xaml | 98.5% | 1.4.42 |
| Swedish | svenska | svenska.xaml | 98.5% | 1.11.15 |
| Thai | ไทย | ไทย.xaml | 64.4% | 1.15.33 |
| Turkish | Türkçe | Türkçe.xaml | 98.5% | 1.8.45 |
| Ukrainian | українська | українська.xaml | 80.7% | 1.12.39 |
| Vietnamese | Tiếng Việt | Tiếng Việt.xaml | 99.3% | 1.8.45 |
| Welsh | Cymraeg | Cymraeg.xaml | 98.5% | 1.22.122 |
Add or fix a translation
Language files are XAML resource dictionaries, the same format as themes. Each string has a key and a text, for example:
<s:String x:Key="start_text">Start</s:String>
<s:String x:Key="show_clock_seconds">Show _seconds in the clock</s:String>The underscore marks the keyboard shortcut letter (Alt+S). To use your own file:
Start from English.xaml
Download English.xaml from the 1.22.122 source, or the existing file for your language to fix it.
Translate and save it under the language's own name
Save it as UTF-8, named the way RetroBar should list it, for example
Kiswahili.xaml.Put it in RetroBar's Languages folder
Create
%LOCALAPPDATA%\RetroBar\Languagesand put the file there. The portable version also reads aLanguagesfolder next toRetroBar.exe.Choose it
Open Properties again; your file appears in the Language list.
To share a translation with everyone, open a pull request on the RetroBar repository; recent releases credit each translator in the notes.
Questions
Why are some RetroBar menus still in English?
The translation for your language is incomplete. RetroBar loads English first and puts the translation on top, so any string the translator has not done yet stays in English. The table above shows how complete each language is.
Does the language setting change Windows menus too?
No. It only changes RetroBar's own text: its right-click menus, tooltips, the Start button label and the Properties window. Menus that come from Windows (for example a program's jump list) follow your Windows language.
Keep going
Found something out of date or wrong? Tell us at hello@retrobar.dev and we will fix it.