How to Rename Words and Phrases in Moodle: A Step-by-Step Guide
Welcome to today’s post! If you’re a site administrator on Moodle, you might sometimes want to change the default terms and phrases that appear throughout your platform. One of the most common requests is renaming words like “Dashboard” or changing the names of certain plugins or features to better suit your institution’s needs.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to easily rename the word “Dashboard” and other terms in Moodle using the language customization feature.
What You’ll Need:
- Moodle Administrator Access: You must be logged in as an administrator to access these settings.
- Moodle 4.0 or newer (the steps we cover are based on this version).
- The Boost Theme (but the steps will be similar on other themes).
Step 1: Accessing Language Customization
To begin, you need to navigate to your Site Administration settings.
- Log into Moodle as an administrator.
- Go to Site Administration on the left-hand menu.
- Under the General tab, scroll down and find the Language section. Here, you’ll see a collection of language settings.
- Click on Language Customization to open the language pack editor.
At this point, Moodle will show you the language packs you have installed. By default, English will be the only language pack unless you’ve added others.
Step 2: Selecting the Language Pack
Once you’re in the Language Customization section:
- Click on English (or the language you are editing).
- Moodle will prompt you to open the language pack for editing. Click Continue.
- A list of all the text strings in Moodle will appear. These are the phrases and terms used across your site.
Step 3: Searching for “Dashboard”
Now, let’s focus on changing the term “Dashboard”:
- You can use the search bar to find specific words or phrases. Type “dashboard” in the search box.
- Click Show Strings to display all instances where the word “Dashboard” appears.
You’ll see several locations where the term “Dashboard” is used throughout the system.
Step 4: Renaming “Dashboard”
To rename “Dashboard” to something else (e.g., “MySpace”), follow these steps:
- In the list of results, find the entry labeled “Dashboard” and check the Local Customization column on the right.
- In the Local Customization field, replace “Dashboard” with your preferred term, such as “MySpace.”
- After making the change, click Save Changes to the Language Pack.
- Moodle will ask if you’re sure you want to save the changes—click Continue to confirm.
Now, go back to your home page and refresh it. You should see that the word “Dashboard” has been replaced with “MySpace” on the site.
Step 5: Renaming Other Terms or Plugins
If you want to rename other terms, such as the “Grade Me” plugin, the process is similar:
- Go back to the Language Customization section.
- This time, instead of selecting Core, scroll down and find the plugin you want to rename (e.g., Block Grade Me).
- Once you find it, click on Show Strings to view the text strings associated with the plugin.
- Replace “Grade Me” with your chosen name (e.g., “Required Grading”).
- Click Save Changes to the Language Pack, and refresh the page to see your updates.
Step 6: Final Thoughts
While renaming terms in Moodle might seem a bit technical at first, it’s a powerful tool for site administrators. It allows you to customize Moodle’s language to fit your institution’s needs and preferences, creating a more personalized and intuitive user experience.
From rebranding the “Dashboard” to renaming plugins like “Grade Me,” this feature can be a great way to enhance the clarity and usability of your site, especially if certain terms don’t fit the context of your institution’s specific environment.
If you need further assistance or want to explore more advanced Moodle customizations, be sure to check out the courses available at the link below.
Thanks for reading, and happy Moodle customizing!
