There are all kinds of settings you can tweak in Windows; some are critical options to change right away, but some are personal preference.

Windows obviously localizes your copy of the operating system based on your location (such as setting the time zone), but you might want to change the currency symbol to something different.

To do so, first you need to open the region settings box:

  • In Windows 10, open the Search bar and type currency. Choose the result that says Change the way currency is displayed.
  • In Windows 8 or 8.1, open the Start screen and start typing currency; choose the same result as Windows 10.
  • In Windows 7, open the Start menu and search for currency; the setting is the same as the other versions.

Once you're here, the path is the same for all Windows versions. In the Formats tab you're in, chose Additional settings… at the bottom. Switch to the Currency tab at the top — here you can change the Currency Symbol box. While here, you can also change other settings, like how negative values are displayed.

In the U.S. the only options are dollars or euros in the drop-down box, but you can paste any value you like here, too. Use ALT codes to insert any currency symbol you wish, or just copy and paste a symbol from an online list like this one.

Note that this setting does not convert any values on your system. It's simply a cosmetic change — you'll need to do conversion manually, or use an Excel formula.

What currency do you prefer to use? Let us know if you changed your default below!

Image Credit: Jay Yuan via Shutterstock.com