# gt-next: General Translation Next.js SDK: useDefaultLocale
URL: https://generaltranslation.com/en-US/docs/next/api/helpers/use-default-locale.mdx
---
title: useDefaultLocale
description: API reference for the useDefaultLocale hook
---
{/* AUTO-GENERATED: Do not edit directly. Edit the template in content/docs-templates/ instead. */}


## Overview

The `useDefaultLocale` hook retrieves the application's default locale from the [`<GTProvider>` context](/docs/next/api/components/gtprovider).
This locale represents the fallback language for your app and is typically used when a user's preferred locale is unavailable.

<Callout>
    `useDefaultLocale` is a client-side hook and *can only be used on client-side components*.
    Ensure your app is wrapped in a [`<GTProvider>`](/docs/next/api/components/gtprovider).
</Callout>

See [`withGTConfig`](/docs/next/api/config/with-gt-config) for configuration.
If no default locale is specified in [`withGTConfig`](/docs/next/api/config/with-gt-config), it defaults to `'en-US'`.
For server-side, see [`getDefaultLocale`](/docs/next/api/helpers/get-default-locale).

## Reference

### Returns

A string representing the application's default locale, e.g., `'en-US'`.

---

## Examples

### Basic usage

Retrieve the application's default locale and display it in your component.

```jsx title="DefaultLocale.jsx" copy
'use client';
import { useDefaultLocale } from 'gt-next';

export default function DefaultLocale() {
  const defaultLocale = useDefaultLocale(); // [!code highlight]

  return <p>Default locale: {defaultLocale}</p>; // Display the default locale
}
```

---

## Notes

- The `useDefaultLocale` hook relies on the [`<GTProvider>`](/docs/next/api/components/gtprovider) to access the context.
  Ensure your app is wrapped with a provider at the root level.
- `useDefaultLocale` is client-side only.
- Learn more about locale strings [here](/docs/core/locales).

## Next steps

- See [`useLocale`](/docs/next/api/helpers/use-locale) to retrieve the user's locale.