Set Language and Time Zone

This guide shows you how to customize your Notion workspace by changing the interface language and timezone settings. These settings help personalize your experience and ensure that dates, times, and interface elements display in your preferred format and language.

When to Change Language and Timezone Settings

You should consider updating these settings when:

• Moving to a new country or timezone
• Preferring to work in your native language rather than English
• Collaborating with international teams that use different languages
• Setting up Notion for the first time in your preferred region

Supported Languages and Timezones

Notion supports multiple interface languages including English, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and Arabic. Timezone settings support all major world timezones and automatically handle daylight saving time adjustments.

Accessing Workspace Settings

To access your workspace settings, click your workspace name in the left sidebar and then select Settings from the dropdown menu.

Changing Your Interface Language

1

In the left sidebar, click on your workspace name to open the workspace dropdown menu. This will display various workspace options including settings, templates, and collaboration tools.

2

From the workspace dropdown menu, click on Settings. This will open the workspace settings page where you can configure various preferences including language and timezone options.

3

In the settings page, locate the language option (initially showing English (US) or your current language setting) and click on it. This will open a dropdown menu displaying all available interface languages that Notion supports.

4

From the language dropdown, select your preferred language. In this example, we're selecting 简体中文 (Simplified Chinese). The available options include major world languages such as French, German, Spanish, Japanese, and others.

5

After selecting your preferred language, click the Update button to apply the language change. Notion will immediately refresh the interface to display all menus, buttons, and text elements in your selected language.

Changing Your Timezone

1

Click on your workspace name in the sidebar and select 设置 (Settings - now displayed in Chinese if you changed the language). If you didn't change the language, this option will still appear as 'Settings' in English.

2

In the settings page, locate the timezone option that displays your current timezone (in this example, (GMT+8

) 上海 - Shanghai). Click on it to open the timezone selection dropdown with all available world timezones.

3

From the timezone dropdown, scroll through and select your desired timezone. In this example, 阿比让 (Abidjan) is selected. The timezone change will be applied immediately and will affect how dates and times are displayed throughout your workspace.

Impact of Language and Timezone Changes

Language Changes Affect

• All interface elements (menus, buttons, settings labels)
• System-generated text and notifications
• Date formatting and locale-specific displays

Timezone Changes Affect

• All date and time displays throughout your workspace
• Calendar events and deadline calculations
• Collaboration timestamps when working with team members
• Page history and version timestamps

Best Practices for International Teams

1. Establish a common reference timezone for deadlines and meetings in shared documentation
2. Consider using UTC timestamps for critical project milestones
3. Be aware that team members may see different date formats based on their language settings
4. Use Notion's @mention feature when discussing time-sensitive topics to ensure proper timezone context

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Conclusion

Customizing your language and timezone settings in Notion helps create a more personalized and accurate workspace experience. These settings ensure that interface elements display in your preferred language and that all time-related information reflects your local timezone, which is especially important for collaboration and scheduling.

Remember that these preferences are individual settings, so each team member can configure Notion according to their own language and timezone needs while still collaborating effectively on shared content.