RetireJapan

I need to get a new laptop and would like it to have an English OS. I see that Amazon has some specifically with English OS but not a huge selection and I am wondering if (like my IPad) I can simply buy one with a Japanese OS and change it over to English? Anyone with experience?

Any version of windows 10 can be changed to English, you'll likely need to download the language pack, but it shouldn't be too difficult.

Thanks Tony

Beaglehound wrote: ↑Sat May 30, 2020 12:58 pm I need to get a new laptop and would like it to have an English OS. I see that Amazon has some specifically with English OS but not a huge selection and I am wondering if (like my IPad) I can simply buy one with a Japanese OS and change it over to English? Anyone with experience?

If you want an English keyboard I believe both Dell and Lenovo offer that option when you customize your selection.

But Tony is right, you can change the OS language easily. In fact, one of the best things to do with a new PC is to wipe the hard drive, and reinstall a fresh copy of the OS.

I've bought a laptop recently, so I have fresh experience of looking for English keyboard.
Lenovo indeed offers the choice for many (but not all) laptop models, but Dell doesn't do that anymore. Even if you contact their support, they won't customize it, like they used before. They still offer it for some more expensive laptops in their business lineup, though.
Eventually, I went with japanese keyboard, because the model I liked the most had only it.

I hadn’t even considered the keyboard so thanks for the heads up guys. I have used a Japanese one before and it wasn’t a nightmare so not a big issue for me. I have also used a Japanese OS and that was a real pain so knowing that I can change that is good news.

Apart from past habits, I think programers/coders prefer US since there are a few important symbols that don't remap well.

I used to be stuck on US, but the labs at work were windows machines, and being able to slide back and forth between my own and those became more convenient than having a few keys where they once were.

If you don't mind their other quirks, apple offers choice of US or Japanese when you order, and their OS has been multilingual for a couple decades at least.

Any Mac has the ability to change languages without the need to install anything... It's very simple, just like changing the language on your iPad/iPhone.
When you buy from the Apple store (online), it gives you the various keyboard options -Japanese/US, etc.