Maui Localization

.NET MAUI Localization

Common gotchas

| Issue | Fix | |---|---| | ResourceManager returns null for default culture | Set en-US in .csproj | | iOS ignores culture overrides | CFBundleLocalizations missing from Info.plist | | Windows doesn't show correct language | ` missing from Package.appxmanifest | | x:Static bindings don't update on language switch | x:Static is one-time — use binding approach with INotifyPropertyChanged | | .Designer.cs not regenerating in VS Code | Add PrepareResources;$(CoreCompileDependsOn) and run dotnet build` |

⚠️ NeutralLanguage is mandatory

  en-US

Platform declarations — don't forget these

iOS / Mac Catalyst

⚠️ Without this, iOS won't offer your app's languages in system Settings:

CFBundleLocalizations

  en
  es
  fr

Windows

Android

Android picks up .resx-based localization automatically. No additional manifest entries required. ✅

Runtime language switching — x:Static trap

When switching culture, set all three properties or formatting is inconsistent:

// ✅ Complete culture switch
var culture = new CultureInfo("es");
CultureInfo.CurrentUICulture = culture;  // resource lookup
CultureInfo.CurrentCulture = culture;     // dates/numbers
AppResources.Culture = culture;           // ResourceManager

// ❌ Only sets UI culture — dates/numbers stay in old culture
CultureInfo.CurrentUICulture = new CultureInfo("es");

RTL layout — set FlowDirection at page level

VS Code pitfall

⚠️ .Designer.cs may not regenerate on save. Add to .csproj and run dotnet build after .resx changes:

PrepareResources;$(CoreCompileDependsOn)

Decision framework

| Need | Approach | |---|---| | Static multilingual strings | .resx files with x:Static bindings | | Runtime language switching | LocalizationResourceManager with INotifyPropertyChanged bindings | | Culture-specific images | Name images banner_{culture}.png or store paths in .resx | | RTL support | Set FlowDirection at page level, detect with TextInfo.IsRightToLeft | | Date/number formatting | Set CultureInfo.CurrentCulture alongside CurrentUICulture |

Quick checklist

• [ ] NeutralLanguage set in .csproj
• [ ] Default AppResources.resx contains all keys
• [ ] Each target language has its own AppResources.{culture}.resx
• [ ] iOS/Mac: CFBundleLocalizations lists all supported languages
• [ ] Windows: Package.appxmanifest declares ``
• [ ] RTL cultures set FlowDirection at page/app level
• [ ] Runtime switching sets all three: CurrentUICulture, CurrentCulture, AppResources.Culture
• [ ] dotnet build regenerates .Designer.cs after .resx changes

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: davidortinau
• Source: davidortinau/maui-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.