diff --git a/gio/gio-querymodules.c b/gio/gio-querymodules.c
index 74c659462..eb5094f4d 100644
--- a/gio/gio-querymodules.c
+++ b/gio/gio-querymodules.c
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <locale.h>
 
+#include "glib/glib-private.h"
+
 static gboolean
 is_valid_module_name (const gchar *basename)
 {
@@ -160,7 +162,7 @@ main (gint   argc,
       return 1;
     }
 
-  setlocale (LC_ALL, "");
+  setlocale (LC_ALL, GLIB_DEFAULT_LOCALE);
 
   /* Be defensive and ensure we're linked to GObject */
   g_type_ensure (G_TYPE_OBJECT);
diff --git a/gio/gio-tool.c b/gio/gio-tool.c
index 847a2188b..c0aec7492 100644
--- a/gio/gio-tool.c
+++ b/gio/gio-tool.c
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 #include <errno.h>
 
 #include "gio-tool.h"
-
+#include "glib/glib-private.h"
 
 void
 print_error (const gchar *format, ...)
@@ -253,9 +253,20 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
   const char *command;
   gboolean do_help;
 
-  setlocale (LC_ALL, "");
+#ifdef G_OS_WIN32
+  gchar *localedir;
+#endif
+
+  setlocale (LC_ALL, GLIB_DEFAULT_LOCALE);
   textdomain (GETTEXT_PACKAGE);
+
+#ifdef G_OS_WIN32
+  localedir = _glib_get_locale_dir ();
+  bindtextdomain (GETTEXT_PACKAGE, localedir);
+  g_free (localedir);
+#else
   bindtextdomain (GETTEXT_PACKAGE, GLIB_LOCALE_DIR);
+#endif
 
 #ifdef HAVE_BIND_TEXTDOMAIN_CODESET
   bind_textdomain_codeset (GETTEXT_PACKAGE, "UTF-8");
diff --git a/gio/glib-compile-resources.c b/gio/glib-compile-resources.c
index 399c567d2..ccffbce2c 100644
--- a/gio/glib-compile-resources.c
+++ b/gio/glib-compile-resources.c
@@ -43,10 +43,7 @@
 #include "gvdb/gvdb-builder.h"
 
 #include "gconstructor_as_data.h"
-
-#ifdef G_OS_WIN32
 #include "glib/glib-private.h"
-#endif
 
 typedef struct
 {
@@ -754,7 +751,7 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
   gchar *tmp;
 #endif
 
-  setlocale (LC_ALL, "");
+  setlocale (LC_ALL, GLIB_DEFAULT_LOCALE);
   textdomain (GETTEXT_PACKAGE);
 
 #ifdef G_OS_WIN32
diff --git a/gio/glib-compile-schemas.c b/gio/glib-compile-schemas.c
index f8b5b6825..f22265b82 100644
--- a/gio/glib-compile-schemas.c
+++ b/gio/glib-compile-schemas.c
@@ -29,10 +29,7 @@
 
 #include "gvdb/gvdb-builder.h"
 #include "strinfo.c"
-
-#ifdef G_OS_WIN32
 #include "glib/glib-private.h"
-#endif
 
 static void
 strip_string (GString *string)
@@ -2188,7 +2185,7 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
   gchar *tmp = NULL;
 #endif
 
-  setlocale (LC_ALL, "");
+  setlocale (LC_ALL, GLIB_DEFAULT_LOCALE);
   textdomain (GETTEXT_PACKAGE);
 
 #ifdef G_OS_WIN32
diff --git a/gio/gresource-tool.c b/gio/gresource-tool.c
index d1de02631..1914c5228 100644
--- a/gio/gresource-tool.c
+++ b/gio/gresource-tool.c
@@ -41,9 +41,7 @@
 #include <glib/gstdio.h>
 #include <gi18n.h>
 
-#ifdef G_OS_WIN32
 #include "glib/glib-private.h"
-#endif
 
 #if defined(HAVE_LIBELF) && defined(HAVE_MMAP)
 #define USE_LIBELF
@@ -610,7 +608,7 @@ main (int argc, char *argv[])
   gchar *tmp;
 #endif
 
-  setlocale (LC_ALL, "");
+  setlocale (LC_ALL, GLIB_DEFAULT_LOCALE);
   textdomain (GETTEXT_PACKAGE);
 
 #ifdef G_OS_WIN32
diff --git a/gio/gsettings-tool.c b/gio/gsettings-tool.c
index b7dd9d8fb..3096f9d9b 100644
--- a/gio/gsettings-tool.c
+++ b/gio/gsettings-tool.c
@@ -25,9 +25,7 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 
-#ifdef G_OS_WIN32
 #include "glib/glib-private.h"
-#endif
 
 static GSettingsSchemaSource   *global_schema_source;
 static GSettings               *global_settings;
@@ -743,7 +741,7 @@ main (int argc, char **argv)
   gchar *tmp;
 #endif
 
-  setlocale (LC_ALL, "");
+  setlocale (LC_ALL, GLIB_DEFAULT_LOCALE);
   textdomain (GETTEXT_PACKAGE);
 
 #ifdef G_OS_WIN32
diff --git a/glib/glib-private.h b/glib/glib-private.h
index d0099236f..8b7ab132e 100644
--- a/glib/glib-private.h
+++ b/glib/glib-private.h
@@ -84,4 +84,25 @@ typedef struct {
 GLIB_AVAILABLE_IN_ALL
 GLibPrivateVTable *glib__private__ (void);
 
+/* Please see following for the use of ".ACP" over ""
+ * on Windows, although both are accepted at compile-time
+ * but "" renders translated console messages unreadable if
+ * built with Visual Studio 2012 and later (this is, unfortunately,
+ * undocumented):
+ *
+ * https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/c-runtime-library/reference/setlocale-wsetlocale
+ * https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/glib/merge_requests/895#note_525881
+ * https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/glib/merge_requests/895#note_525900
+ *
+ * Additional related items:
+ * https://stackoverflow.com/questions/22604329/php-5-5-setlocale-not-working-in-cli-on-windows
+ * https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=66265
+ */
+
+#ifdef G_OS_WIN32
+# define GLIB_DEFAULT_LOCALE ".ACP"
+#else
+# define GLIB_DEFAULT_LOCALE ""
+#endif
+
 #endif /* __GLIB_PRIVATE_H__ */