Why does only one locale appear in Partner Center even though my extension package includes multiple languages?

[G-u-r-j-e-e-t]

Sometimes only one locale appears in the Store Listings tab in Partner Center, even though my extension package contains multiple language folders under _locales. Why does this happen, and how do I make all languages show up?

[G-u-r-j-e-e-t]

This issue typically occurs when the extension’s manifest.json uses hardcoded strings instead of i18n message references. Partner Center detects supported languages based on the message references used in the manifest—not just the presence of language folders.

When message references are missing, Partner Center assumes the extension supports only one default locale and ignores the others.

To ensure that all supported locales are detected:

Update your manifest.json file by replacing the name and description fields with i18n placeholders:

{
    "manifest_version": 3,
    "name": "__MSG_extensionName__",
    "description": "__MSG_extensionDescription__"
}

Include a default_locale in your manifest, such as "default_locale": "en".

Make sure your _locales folder contains a properly structured messages.json file for each language. Partner Center uses these message references to identify available languages. If these message references are missing, the language will be skipped.

The message references are the i18n "name" and "description" keys in each /_locales/messages.json file. These message references (i18n keys) correspond to the "__MSG_extensionName__" and "__MSG_extensionDescription__" placeholders that are used in the "name" and "description" fields of the manifest.json file. Partner Center uses these message references to determine which languages are available.

See also:

• You can learn more about this in our Official Documentations here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/extensions/publish/publish-extension#resolve-any-partner-center-errors
• chrome.i18n - API to implement internationalization throughout an app or extension.
• Manifest file format for extensions
  • Manifest file format in Chrome docs.