JavaScript for detecting browser language preference

user_104785 0
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I have been trying to detect the browser language preference using JavaScript.

If I set the browser language in IE in Tools>Internet Options>General>Languages, how do I read this value using JavaScript?

Same problem for Firefox. I'm not able to detect the setting for tools>options>content>languages using navigator.language.

Using navigator.userLanguage , it detects the setting done thru Start>ControlPanel>RegionalandLanguageOptions>Regional Options tab.

I have tested with navigator.browserLanguage and navigator.systemLanguage but neither returns the value for the first setting(Tools>InternetOptions>General>Languages)

I found a link which discusses this in detail, but the question remains unanswered :(

internationalization localization javascript
26 Answers

navigator.userLanguage for IE

window.navigator.language for firefox/opera/safari

Admin1

I've been using Hamid's answer for a while, but it in cases where the languages array is like ["en", "en-GB", "en-US", "fr-FR", "fr", "en-ZA"] it will return "en", when "en-GB" would be a better match.

My update (below) will return the first long format code e.g. "en-GB", otherwise it will return the first short code e.g. "en", otherwise it will return null.

function getFirstBrowserLanguage() {
        var nav = window.navigator,
            browserLanguagePropertyKeys = ['language', 'browserLanguage', 'systemLanguage', 'userLanguage'],
            i,
            language,
            len,
            shortLanguage = null;

        // support for HTML 5.1 "navigator.languages"
        if (Array.isArray(nav.languages)) {
            for (i = 0; i < nav.languages.length; i++) {
                language = nav.languages[i];
                len = language.length;
                if (!shortLanguage && len) {
                    shortLanguage = language;
                }
                if (language && len>2) {
                    return language;
                }
            }
        }

        // support for other well known properties in browsers
        for (i = 0; i < browserLanguagePropertyKeys.length; i++) {
            language = nav[browserLanguagePropertyKeys[i]];
            //skip this loop iteration if property is null/undefined.  IE11 fix.
            if (language == null) { continue; } 
            len = language.length;
            if (!shortLanguage && len) {
                shortLanguage = language;
            }
            if (language && len > 2) {
                return language;
            }
        }

        return shortLanguage;
    }

console.log(getFirstBrowserLanguage());

Update: IE11 was erroring when some properties were undefined. Added a check to skip those properties.

user_65606970

I can't find a single reference that state that it's possible without involving the serverside.

MSDN on:

From browserLanguage:

In Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 and earlier, the browserLanguage property reflects the language of the installed browser's user interface. For example, if you install a Japanese version of Windows Internet Explorer on an English operating system, browserLanguage would be ja.

In Internet Explorer 5 and later, however, the browserLanguage property reflects the language of the operating system regardless of the installed language version of Internet Explorer. However, if Microsoft Windows 2000 MultiLanguage version is installed, the browserLanguage property indicates the language set in the operating system's current menus and dialogs, as found in the Regional Options of the Control Panel. For example, if you install a Japanese version of Internet Explorer 5 on an English (United Kingdom) operating system, browserLanguage would be en-gb. If you install Windows 2000 MultiLanguage version and set the language of the menus and dialogs to French, browserLanguage would be fr, even though you have a Japanese version of Internet Explorer.

Note This property does not indicate the language or languages set by the user in Language Preferences, located in the Internet Options dialog box.

Furthermore, it looks like browserLanguage is deprecated cause IE8 doesn't list it

user_983780
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