How to localize App Store screenshots, step by step.
Screenshot localization is not translation with the same layout. Copy length changes, reading direction changes, and the reference points that make a headline land in one market can mean nothing in another.
This guide covers the workflow that holds up in practice: approve one source set, expand deliberately, and catch the layout and cultural problems before they ship to a live listing.
Step 1: build and approve a source set
Every localized set inherits its structure from the source. Getting the source right is the highest-leverage step, because a weak feature order or vague headline gets multiplied across every market.
- Choose the six to ten screens that best explain the product.
- Lead with the single strongest benefit, not a feature tour.
- Write short, benefit-focused headline copy that survives translation.
- Approve the direction before spending credits on other locales.
Short source copy localizes better. A ten-word English headline can become an unusable sixteen-word German one.
Step 2: choose markets deliberately
Localizing all 42 locales on day one is rarely the best use of budget. Prioritize markets by where you already have traffic and where English is least likely to carry the message.
- Start with markets that already send installs.
- Weight toward markets with lower English proficiency.
- Check where impressions are high but conversion is low — that gap is often a language problem.
- Expand in rounds rather than all at once.
Step 3: handle text expansion
This is the most common way localized screenshots go wrong. The same headline occupies very different space across languages, and a layout tuned to English will break.
- German, Finnish, and Hungarian typically run 20 to 35 percent longer than English.
- Japanese, Chinese, and Korean are usually more compact but need different line breaking.
- Arabic, Hebrew, Urdu, and Farsi read right to left and need mirrored emphasis.
- Never solve overflow by shrinking the font — screenshots are read as thumbnails.
Generating copy per locale rather than translating a fixed string avoids most of this, because the copy is written to fit rather than forced into a box.
Step 4: localize meaning, not just words
Some things translate cleanly and some do not. Currency, date formats, legal wording, feature names, and cultural references all need a decision rather than a direct substitution.
- Convert currency and price references to the local market.
- Check that feature names match the localized app's actual UI strings.
- Remove idioms and wordplay that only work in the source language.
- Verify any claim or disclaimer that carries legal weight in that market.
Screenshot copy that names a feature differently from the localized app is a common and avoidable source of confusion.
Step 5: review every locale before publishing
Review per market rather than scanning one long list. The failures you are looking for are layout overflow, copy that reads as machine-translated, and screenshots that lost their emphasis in translation.
- Check the first two screenshots hardest — they carry the decision.
- Look at each screenshot at thumbnail size, not full size.
- Regenerate individual screenshots rather than whole sets.
- Have a native speaker check high-value markets where possible.
Step 6: upload the localized sets
Each localized set maps to a localization in App Store Connect. Uploading directly from the project avoids placing dozens of files by hand and reduces the chance of a set landing in the wrong locale.
- Export localized PNG files, or upload selected locales directly.
- Confirm each App Store Connect localization received its own set.
- Check that no locale silently fell back to the primary language.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I localize App Store screenshots?
- Build and approve a source set in your primary market first, then produce a set per target locale with copy generated for that market, check that the translated copy still fits the layout, review each locale, and upload the sets to the matching localizations in App Store Connect.
- Why does translated copy break screenshot layouts?
- Text expansion. German and Finnish typically run 20 to 35 percent longer than English, Russian and Portuguese somewhat less. A headline that fits on two lines in English can push to four in German, overflowing the text area or forcing a font size small enough to be unreadable on a phone-sized thumbnail.
- Which locales should I localize first?
- Look at where installs already come from and where App Store traffic is highest relative to conversion. Localizing a market that already converts well in English gains less than localizing one where users are dropping off. Most apps see the biggest gains in Japan, Korea, China, Germany, France, and Brazil.
- Do I need to localize the screenshots if the app is not localized?
- Generally no. Localized screenshots that promise a localized experience the app does not deliver produce installs followed by uninstalls and poor reviews. Localize the app first, then the listing.
- What about right-to-left languages?
- Arabic, Hebrew, Urdu, and Farsi read right to left, which affects both text alignment and the natural reading order of a screenshot. Composition that leads the eye from left to right in English needs its emphasis mirrored to work in those markets.
Turn one approved set into every market
Generate a source set, review the direction, then expand into the locales that matter without rebuilding the design each time.
Related guides
Why localized screenshot sets matter and how the 42-locale workflow runs.
Preparing, reviewing, and uploading screenshot sets to App Store Connect.
Proven screenshot set patterns and the order that converts best.
How the generator turns raw app screens into finished App Store screenshot sets.