Languages and Translations

The language of the M-Files user interface depends on three factors:

  • M-Files software language
  • Vault language
  • Windows display language

You can change to any software language with the language setting. For intructions on how to translate the vault metadata structure to the language of your choice, see section Translating the metadata structure.

Changing the Windows display language depends on your Windows version. For instance in Windows 10, you can change the display language in Control Panel > Language.

Note: The classic M-Files Web has different requirements for a fully localized user experience. See this note for more information. The new M-Files Web uses your browser language setting to select the language of the user interface.

Changing the software language

M-Files software can be used in several different languages. Changing the language is easy and the change can also be done during use. You can open the Change Language dialog by clicking on the M-Files icon on the Windows notification area and by selecting Settings > Change Language. M-Files software offers these languages automatically.

If, for example, English is selected as the software language, the following options are displayed in English: Check Out, Check In and Workflow. If Finnish were to be chosen, the same options would be shown in Finnish: Varaa muokattavaksi, Palauta muokkauksesta and Työnkulku.

Additional language versions to those currently supported are available by separate agreement with M-Files.

Translating the metadata structure

The document vault metadata structure can be translated into different languages. The document vault metadata structure refers to the vault's object types, classes, property definitions, value lists, workflows, and so on. The document class titles, such as Proposal, Order and Contract, can be translated into the desired languages.

The company can translate the metadata structure independently or have it translated by a third party. Managing the translation material is easy: the administrator can export the translation material in the XML file format. The material can then either be translated in-house or by a professional translation agency. The actual translation process is not dependent on M-Files Admin or its permissions.

Translating the metadata structure can be particularly beneficial for companies with operations in more than one country, or companies with more than one in-house language. This enables users to add documents and other objects using the metadata structure in their own language. The multilingual metadata structure can also be useful if the company uses several languages for other than geographical reasons.

See Multilingual Metadata Structures for further information on how to create a localized version of the metadata structure of your vault.

Tip: If your M-Files system administrator has enabled translated object titles, you can use the translated object titles in searches. The translated object titles are also shown in the title area of the metadata card, in the listing area, in notifications, and in value lists.

Different language for software and metadata structure

Besides the M-Files functions, metadata specific to document vaults can be selected and edited in a user-specified language if the metadata structure has also been translated. If the metadata structure has not been translated into the relevant languages, it can be difficult for the user to understand why some information is displayed in different languages. Only users with administrator rights can view and edit the actual content of the metadata structure.

For example, the class Proposal, object type Customer and property definition Document date belong to the metadata structure. If the user has selected Finnish as the software language but the metadata structure has not been translated into Finnish, the user will see these options in English only because they have been added to the metadata structure and titled in English.

Thus, for instance, when creating a new document, some metadata card information will be displayed in Finnish (Lisää ominaisuus, Avaa muokattavaksi and Luo) and some in English (Proposal, Customer and Project). This is because some of the texts, such as Luo, are part of the M-Files software that has been already translated into Finnish but the Proposal concept in the metadata structure has not yet been translated.