---
name: "freelocale"
section: "3"
platform: "freebsd"
package: "base"
version: "16.0-CURRENT-20261027-61c70dc16a79"
release: "FreeBSD 16.0-CURRENT (2026-10-27)"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/freelocale"
---

# freelocale(3)

Frees a locale created with duplocale(3) or newlocale(3)

## NAME

**freelocale** – Frees a locale created with [duplocale(3)](/duplocale/3.md) or [newlocale(3)](/newlocale/3.md)

## LIBRARY

Standard C Library (libc, -lc)

## SYNOPSIS

**#include \<locale.h\>**

*void*\

**freelocale**(*locale\_t locale*);

## DESCRIPTION

Frees a *locale\_t*. This relinquishes any resources held exclusively by this locale. Note that locales share reference-counted components, so a call to this function is not guaranteed to free all of the components.

## SEE ALSO

[duplocale(3)](/duplocale/3.md), [localeconv(3)](/localeconv/3.md), [newlocale(3)](/newlocale/3.md), [querylocale(3)](/querylocale/3.md), [uselocale(3)](/uselocale/3.md), [xlocale(3)](/xlocale/3.md)

## STANDARDS

This function conforms to IEEE Std 1003.1-2008 (“POSIX.1”).