Creating Multilingual Installations

InstallShield 2026

Project: This information applies to the following project type:

• Advanced UI
• Basic MSI
• InstallScript
• InstallScript MSI
• InstallScript Object
• Merge Module
• Suite /Advanced UI

Edition:The Premier edition of InstallShield includes support for creating multilingual installations.

InstallShield supports many features that enable you to customize your installation for global distribution. Using these features, you can create a single installation project that displays end-user text in multiple languages and can handle conditional installation of language-specific files.

Creating a multilingual installation primarily involves separating code from language-specific resources and files. You may also need to distribute separate files for your installation, such as graphics, license files, or custom actions, depending on the language in which the installation is running. Another consideration is whether you need to install different application files depending on the target system’s locale.

InstallShield enables the creation of multilingual installations by dividing installation authoring into the following distinct tasks:

• Specify the languages that your installation will include.
• Translate the strings for each supported language.
• Modify end-user dialogs as necessary for each language.
• Mark any language-dependent components.
• Select the languages to include in the release.

This section includes the following topics:

• Globalization Tips
• Setting the Default Project Language
• Settings for Languages
• Selecting the Installation Languages
• Marking Components as Language Dependent
• Installing Components Based on Language
• Including Languages in the Release
• Translating String Entries
• Exporting and Importing String Entries
• Modifying Dialogs for Each Language
• How an Installation Determines Which Language to Use for the User Interface
• Customizing Language Support
• Language Identifiers

See Also

Run-Time Language Support in InstallShield

Globalization Tips

Code Page Requirements for Language Support

Dialog Support for Right-to-Left Languages