Change Date, Time and Time Zone in Windows 11 and 10 (and Fix a Clock That Is Wrong)

To change the date and time in Windows 11 or 10, open Settings > Time & language > Date & time. Leave Set time automatically on and select Sync now to correct the clock from Microsoft's time server, or turn it off and select Change next to Set the date and time manually. Choose your time zone from the list, or turn on Set time zone automatically, and keep Adjust for daylight saving time automatically on. To change how the date and time look, such as a 24-hour clock or day-first dates, go to Language & region > Regional format > Change formats. From an administrator command line, w32tm /resync forces a sync and tzutil /s sets the time zone. If the clock is wrong after every restart or power-off, the usual causes are the wrong time zone, a stopped Windows Time service, a blocked time server, dual-booting with Linux, or a dead CMOS battery on the motherboard.

Ethan's desktop PC kept showing a time exactly one hour wrong. He fixed it by hand every few weeks, and every few weeks it drifted back, and his calendar reminders arrived an hour late. Then websites started warning that his connection was not private. Jake looked at the Date & time page and found two problems: the time zone was set to a neighboring zone that did not observe daylight saving time the same way, and automatic time had been switched off years earlier by a setup tool. He set the right zone, turned automatic time back on, pressed Sync now, and the clock has been right since. The certificate warnings disappeared with it. This page covers changing the date, time and time zone, keeping the clock in sync, and fixing a clock that will not stay right.

Why the clock matters

A wrong clock causes more trouble than missed appointments. Secure websites check certificate dates, so a PC whose clock is far off shows warnings that connections are not private, or refuses to load sites at all. Sign-in systems, two-step verification codes, cloud services and developer tools compare times and reject requests from a clock that is too far out. Calendar reminders, alarms and scheduled tasks fire at the wrong moment. Files are saved with wrong timestamps, which confuses backups and sync. And Windows Update can fail when the clock is badly wrong.

The good news is that Windows keeps time accurately on its own when it is set up correctly. It reads the time from a clock chip on the motherboard when it starts, then regularly checks it against a time server on the internet and corrects any drift. Most clock problems come from a setting that has been changed, a wrong time zone, or a hardware clock that cannot keep time while the PC is off.

A simple setup for parents and grandparents

For a relative who finds settings confusing, set the clock up once and leave it alone. Turn on Set time automatically and Adjust for daylight saving time automatically, pick the right time zone by name, and press Sync now. Turn on the larger text size in accessibility settings if the taskbar clock is hard to read, and consider adding seconds or the full date to the tray. With those set, the clock will stay right through every daylight saving change without anyone touching it.

Explain that if the time ever looks wrong, the first step is simply to restart the PC while connected to the internet, which lets Windows correct it. If it is wrong again after the PC has been unplugged for a while, the CMOS battery may need replacing, which is a quick job for a family member or repair shop.

A printed note by the PC with the two steps, restart and check the time, saves a phone call more often than you would expect.

Change the date and time in Windows 11

1. Right-click the clock on the taskbar and choose Adjust date and time, or open Settings > Time & language > Date & time.
2. To let Windows set the time, turn on Set time automatically, then select Sync now under Additional settings.
3. To set it yourself, turn off Set time automatically.
4. Next to Set the date and time manually, select Change.
5. Choose the date and time in the dialog and select Change to apply.
6. Check the Time zone on the same page and correct it if needed.

Changing the date and time needs an administrator account; on a standard account, Windows asks for an administrator's password. In most cases, the automatic option is the better choice, because a manually set clock drifts over time and does not follow daylight saving changes unless the time zone handles them. Set the time manually only when you have a reason, such as testing software or using a PC with no internet connection.

If someone else uses the PC with a standard account and complains that the clock is wrong, the fix still needs an administrator, but most of the time, turning on automatic time once is all it takes, and the clock then looks after itself.

Change the date and time in Windows 10

Windows 10 uses almost the same steps. Right-click the clock and choose Adjust date/time, or open Settings > Time & Language > Date & time. Turn off Set time automatically, select Change under Set the date and time manually, enter the new date and time and select Change. To sync instead, keep automatic time on and select Sync now under Synchronize your clock, which also shows when the clock last synced and with which server.

Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025, with consumer Extended Security Updates available until October 2027, and its date and time settings continue to work as described. Both versions also still include the older Control Panel > Clock and Region > Date and Time dialog, which some people find quicker and which holds the Internet Time and Additional Clocks options described below.

The Windows 10 Date & time page also shows the time zone and daylight saving options described in the following sections, in the same order as Windows 11, so the rest of this guide applies to both versions.

Sync the clock with an internet time server

When Set time automatically is on, Windows synchronizes the clock with an internet time server, time.windows.com by default, using a standard protocol called NTP. On a home PC, Windows checks about once a week, which is enough for the clock chip's normal drift, and also corrects the time at startup when needed. Selecting Sync now forces an immediate check and shows the time of the last successful sync.

If Sync now fails, the usual causes are no internet connection, a firewall or network that blocks the time protocol, which uses UDP port 123, or the Windows Time service being stopped. Try a different network to test, and check the service as described in the troubleshooting section. Work and school PCs joined to a domain sync with the organization's servers instead, and their time settings may be locked by policy.

The last sync time shown under Sync now is a quick health check. If it shows a date more than a couple of weeks old on a PC that is online every day, sync is not working, and the troubleshooting steps below apply.

Work and school PCs

On PCs joined to a company or school domain, Windows takes its time from the organization's servers rather than the internet, and Date & time settings may be locked or show that some settings are managed by your organization. That is normal, because many security systems depend on all PCs in the organization agreeing on the time to within a few minutes. If a work PC's clock is wrong, contact IT rather than changing time settings, which may be reverted by policy or break sign-in.

Work laptops used away from the office can drift if they cannot reach the company time servers for a long time. Connecting to the VPN usually brings them back in sync. Time zone changes for travel are generally allowed, since time zone and system time are separate settings.

If you use a personal PC for work through a company account, the company may still apply some policies to it. Check Settings for a message that some settings are managed, and ask IT before changing time settings on a PC enrolled in their management.

Change the time server

You can point Windows at a different time server if time.windows.com is unreliable from your network. Open Control Panel > Clock and Region > Date and Time, select the Internet Time tab and choose Change settings. Make sure Synchronize with an Internet time server is checked, pick a server from the list, such as time.nist.gov, or type another, such as pool.ntp.org, and select Update now, then OK.

The NIST servers are run by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, and pool.ntp.org is a large volunteer network of time servers that directs you to servers near you. Either is a good alternative. From an administrator command line, w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:time.nist.gov /syncfromflags:manual /update sets the server, and w32tm /resync syncs immediately.

Most home users never need to change the server. It is worth trying only if Sync now fails repeatedly on a network you trust, or if your organization asks you to use its own server.

Set the time zone

On the Date & time page, choose your zone from the Time zone list. Zones are listed by their offset from Coordinated Universal Time and by name, such as (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) or (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). Pick the one that names your region rather than just one with the right offset, because zones with the same offset can have different daylight saving rules, which is exactly what went wrong on Ethan's PC.

To let Windows choose, turn on Set time zone automatically. This uses location services, so Settings > Privacy & security > Location must be on, and it works best on laptops with Wi-Fi. If the option is grayed out, location services are off or restricted by policy; our guide to Windows privacy settings covers location. If you travel, automatic time zone changes the clock as you move, which is convenient for laptops and less useful for desktops that never leave home.

US time zones in Windows

The IDs keep the word Standard even though Windows applies daylight saving automatically for zones that use it. Arizona is the classic trap: choosing Mountain Time instead of the Arizona zone makes the clock jump an hour in March and November when it should not. Users elsewhere should look for the zone named after their country or region, since many share the same offset but not the same rules.

To see the full list of zone IDs on your PC, run tzutil /l in Terminal; each entry shows the display name and, on the next line, the ID to use in commands.

Daylight saving time

Keep Adjust for daylight saving time automatically on. Windows then moves the clock forward and back on the right dates for your time zone, without any action from you. In most of the United States, daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. Arizona, except the Navajo Nation, and Hawaii do not observe it, and choosing their specific zones in Windows handles that correctly.

Governments change time zone and daylight saving rules from time to time, and Windows receives the new rules through Windows Update. If a change is announced for your region, install updates before the date so the clock switches correctly. Our guide to the Alberta and British Columbia time change on Windows shows how such a change plays out and what to do if your PC has not received the update in time.

On the morning after a change, a quick glance at the taskbar clock confirms it moved as expected.

PCs without internet

A PC that is never connected to the internet cannot sync automatically and depends entirely on its hardware clock, which can drift by a few seconds a day. For such PCs, check the time monthly and correct it manually, or connect them briefly to a network with a time server. Offline PCs also miss time zone rule updates delivered through Windows Update, so install updates periodically from offline media if the region's rules change.

Some offline systems in labs and industrial settings use a local time server on their private network, or a GPS-based clock device, so all machines agree without internet access. For a single home PC, a manual monthly check is enough.

For a PC that is online only occasionally, selecting Sync now each time it connects keeps it accurate without any other effort.

Change date and time formats

To change how dates and times are displayed, for example a 24-hour clock, day-first dates or the first day of the week, open Settings > Time & language > Language & region. Under Regional format, choose your region, which sets sensible defaults, then select Change formats to adjust each one: Calendar, First day of week, Short date, Long date, Short time and Long time. Choosing a short time format with uppercase H, such as 17:40, gives a 24-hour clock.

For more control, the older dialog remains in Control Panel > Clock and Region > Region > Additional settings, with Date and Time tabs where you can type custom formats using codes such as dd for the day, MM for the month and yyyy for the year. Changes apply to the taskbar clock and to apps that use Windows' regional settings, such as File Explorer and many desktop programs. Some apps use their own date settings, so check those separately.

Other calendars and regional settings

Windows supports calendars besides the Gregorian one used in the United States. In Regional format settings, the Calendar option offers choices such as Hijri, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Thai Buddhist and others, depending on your region. Windows 11 can also show an additional lunar calendar alongside the normal one when you open the clock panel, using the Show additional calendars in the taskbar option on the Date & time page, where available for your language.

Region settings also control number formats, currency symbols and measurement units in apps that follow Windows settings. If dates in a spreadsheet or app look wrong after changing region, check both the Windows regional format and the app's own locale setting, since some apps override Windows.

Changing the regional format does not change the display language of Windows itself, which is a separate setting on the same page.

Taskbar clock options

Windows 11 can show seconds on the taskbar clock: open Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors and turn on Show seconds in system tray clock. It uses slightly more power, which matters little on desktops. You can also hide the time and date from the tray, though most people keep it. Our guide to showing or hiding taskbar and tray icons covers the other tray options.

Selecting the clock opens a calendar and notification panel, where you can see the month at a glance. If the clock does not appear at all, check the taskbar settings, then restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager, which redraws the tray. Our guide to customizing the Start menu and taskbar covers layout options.

If the clock text looks cramped or cut off, check display scaling in Settings > System > Display; very high or very low scaling can squeeze the tray. Changing the date format to a shorter style also frees space on small laptop screens.

Show additional clocks for other time zones

If you work with people in other time zones, Windows can show up to two extra clocks when you hover over or select the taskbar clock. Open Settings > Time & language > Date & time, select Additional clocks, or open the Date and Time dialog in Control Panel and go to the Additional Clocks tab. Check Show this clock, choose a time zone, give it a name such as London office, and select OK.

The Clock app offers more, with a world clock that shows as many cities as you like, alarms, timers and a stopwatch. Alarms and reminders can also appear on the lock screen, as our guide to alarms and reminders on the lock screen explains.

Time zones in Outlook and calendars

Calendar apps have their own time zone settings, which can disagree with Windows. In Outlook, the time zone is in its options under Calendar, and you can add a second time zone to the calendar view, useful for scheduling across regions. Meetings are stored with their time zone, so they appear at the right local time for each attendee when settings are correct.

If meetings appear an hour off, check three places: the Windows time zone, the calendar app's time zone, and the time zone of the original invitation. Web calendars such as Outlook on the web and Google Calendar use account settings that also need to match where you are.

When you travel, Outlook can also ask whether to update your calendar's time zone to match Windows, which keeps appointments at the right local times.

Date, time and time zone from the command line

For scripts and quick fixes, Windows has command-line tools. In an administrator Terminal or Command Prompt, w32tm /resync forces an immediate sync, w32tm /query /status shows the time source and last sync, and w32tm /query /source shows just the server in use. To manage time zones, tzutil /g shows the current zone, tzutil /l lists all zone names, and tzutil /s "Eastern Standard Time" sets one, using the exact name from the list.

In PowerShell, Get-TimeZone shows the zone, Get-TimeZone -ListAvailable lists zones, and Set-TimeZone -Id "Pacific Standard Time" changes it. Get-Date shows the date and time, and Set-Date changes them, for example Set-Date -Date "10/03/2026 09:30" in an administrator session. Our guide to PowerShell commands for beginners explains how to open PowerShell as administrator. The old date and time commands in Command Prompt still work too, prompting for new values.

Virtual machines and time drift

Virtual machines, such as those in Hyper-V, VirtualBox or VMware, keep their own clocks, which can drift when the host is busy or when a VM is paused or restored from a snapshot. Most virtualization tools include a time synchronization feature in their guest additions or integration services that keeps the VM's clock aligned with the host. Make sure it is installed and turned on in the VM's settings.

After restoring a VM from an old snapshot, its clock may be days or months behind until it syncs, which causes certificate and sign-in errors. Running w32tm /resync inside the VM, or simply waiting for the integration service to correct it, fixes that. Avoid running two time sync methods at once inside a VM, such as both the host integration and an internet time server with aggressive settings, since they can fight each other.

The same applies to Windows running on a Mac through virtualization software, and to Windows Subsystem for Linux, whose clock can fall behind after the PC sleeps; restarting WSL with wsl --shutdown resets it to the Windows time.

Clock keeps changing or is wrong after restart

If the time is wrong every time the PC starts, especially after it has been unplugged or switched off at the wall, the CMOS battery is the most likely cause. This small coin battery, usually a CR2032, powers the motherboard's clock while the PC is off. When it runs down after several years, the clock resets to a default date or drifts badly whenever power is removed, and BIOS settings may reset too. Windows then corrects the clock after it connects to the internet, but only if automatic time is on.

Replacing the battery is simple on most desktops: turn off and unplug the PC, open the case, and swap the coin cell on the motherboard for a new one of the same type. On laptops, the battery is often harder to reach and may be connected by a cable, so check the maker's service manual or ask a repair shop. After replacing it, enter the BIOS to check the date and settings. Our guide to finding your BIOS version covers getting into BIOS information.

If the clock is wrong by an exact number of hours, the time zone is wrong, not the clock. If it is wrong by exactly one hour for part of the year, the daylight saving setting or the time zone's rules are the issue. Fix the zone and turn on automatic daylight saving adjustment.

Set the time in BIOS

The hardware clock can also be set directly in the PC's BIOS or UEFI setup, which is useful after replacing the CMOS battery or when Windows will not start. Restart the PC and press the setup key shown at startup, often Delete, F2 or F10, or from Windows hold Shift while selecting Restart and choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings. The date and time usually appear on the first screen. Set them, save changes and exit.

Set the BIOS clock to your local time if you only run Windows, because Windows treats the hardware clock as local time. Windows will then refine it through internet sync once it starts. On dual-boot systems, follow the advice in the dual boot section so both operating systems agree.

Take care not to change other BIOS settings while you are there unless you know what they do, since options such as boot order and security settings affect whether Windows starts.

Replace a desktop CMOS battery

1. Note your BIOS settings, or photograph the main BIOS screens, since some may reset.
2. Shut down the PC, switch off the power supply and unplug it from the wall.
3. Open the case and touch a metal part of it to discharge static electricity.
4. Find the coin battery on the motherboard, usually a CR2032 in a round holder.
5. Press the small clip to release it, lift it out and note which side faced up.
6. Insert a new battery of the same type the same way up.
7. Close the case, reconnect power, start the PC and enter BIOS to set the date, time and any settings that reset.

The battery costs a few dollars and is sold at most supermarkets and electronics stores. A fresh one usually lasts several years. If the clock still resets with a new battery, the motherboard may have a fault, but that is rare.

Wrong time after using Linux (dual boot)

If you dual-boot Windows with Linux and the time is off by several hours each time you switch, the two systems are reading the motherboard clock differently. Windows assumes the hardware clock holds local time, while most Linux distributions assume it holds Coordinated Universal Time. Each system "corrects" the clock for the other's assumption, so the time jumps by your offset from UTC.

There are two fixes. In Linux, tell it to use local time with timedatectl set-local-rtc 1, which matches Windows. Or tell Windows to use UTC by creating a DWORD value named RealTimeIsUniversal set to 1 under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\TimeZoneInformation and restarting. The Linux change is the simpler and more commonly recommended route. Back up the registry before editing it; our guide to the registry error writing values helps if Windows refuses the change.

Laptops and travel across time zones

When you fly with a laptop, you have two choices. With Set time zone automatically on, the laptop switches to the local zone when it detects your new location through Wi-Fi, and calendar appointments shift to local time. With it off, the laptop stays on home time until you change the zone yourself. Many frequent travelers keep home time on a work laptop to avoid confusion about meetings back home, and add a second clock for the local time.

Whichever you choose, only change the time zone, never the time itself. Changing the time to match a new location, while leaving the zone set to home, makes the clock wrong in absolute terms, which breaks sync, certificates and meeting times. Changing the zone moves the displayed time while the underlying clock stays correct.

After a long trip, check that the time zone switched back when you got home, especially if automatic time zone was off while you traveled.

Windows Time service problems

Automatic time depends on the Windows Time service, named W32Time. If Sync now fails or the last sync date is old, check it. Press Windows key + R, type services.msc and press Enter, find Windows Time, and make sure its startup type is Manual (Trigger Start) or Automatic and that it can start. Some cleanup or privacy tools disable it, which quietly stops all syncing.

If the service is damaged, re-registering it often helps. In an administrator Terminal, run net stop w32time, w32tm /unregister, w32tm /register, net start w32time and then w32tm /resync. This resets the service's settings to defaults, so set a custom time server again afterward if you used one.

Clock myths

A common belief is that you need a special app to keep the PC clock accurate. Windows' built-in sync is accurate enough for nearly everyone, typically within a fraction of a second after syncing. Another is that the clock is broken if it is a minute off from a phone. Phones sync with the mobile network constantly; a PC syncing weekly may drift a few seconds, which Sync now corrects instantly.

People also think changing the time zone changes the files or settings on the PC. It only changes how times are displayed. On NTFS drives, which nearly all Windows PCs use, files keep their timestamps internally in universal time, so they show correct local times after a zone change.

Finally, some believe the CMOS battery affects the clock while Windows runs. It only matters while the PC is off; once Windows starts and syncs, the battery plays no part until the next shutdown.

Clock problems and fixes at a glance

Work down the table from the top. The first row alone accounts for a large share of wrong clocks, because a time zone chosen by offset rather than name looks right for half the year.

Certificate and sign-in errors from a wrong clock

When the clock is far off, browsers show errors such as Your clock is ahead, Your clock is behind or NET::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID, because every secure website's certificate is valid only between two dates. Fixing the clock fixes these immediately; there is no need to change browser settings. Do not bypass the warnings, since the same messages can appear for genuinely unsafe connections.

Two-step verification apps that generate codes from the time, cloud command-line tools and some games and licensing systems also reject requests when the clock is off by more than a few minutes. Developers see errors like the one in our guide to clock skew errors in cloud tools. Turning on automatic time and syncing usually ends them. Keeping your browser current matters too; our guide to updating Chrome covers that side.

Keeping all your devices in agreement

Phones, tablets, smart speakers and PCs all get their time from network sources, so they normally agree to within a second or two. When one disagrees, it is usually the PC, because it syncs less often and depends on the time zone being set correctly. If your PC and phone show different times, check the PC's time zone first, then select Sync now.

Smart home devices and older gadgets that set their own time may drift, and some need their time zone set in their companion app. Routers, network storage drives and security cameras also keep time, and a wrong clock on them can make logs and recordings confusing. Check their admin pages for time settings, and point them at the same time servers your PC uses for consistency.

A single correct source of time across the house makes logs, recordings and reminders line up.

File timestamps and backups

Every file records when it was created and modified, using the PC's clock. If the clock was wrong when files were saved, their dates will be wrong too, which can confuse backup software that copies only changed files, sync services that decide which version is newer, and anyone sorting files by date. After fixing a clock that was badly wrong, run a full backup rather than an incremental one, and check that sync services have not kept an older version of an important file because its date looked newer.

Photos have their own timestamps from the camera or phone, stored inside the file, so a wrong PC clock does not change when a photo was taken, only when it was copied to the PC.

Checking a few recent files after the fix confirms that new saves now carry the correct date.

What this page said before

This page began in 2015 as a short guide to changing the time in Windows 10, later expanded for beginners and seniors. Our separate guides to changing the date and synchronizing the clock covered closely related steps, and they have been combined into this one page so everything about the Windows clock is in one place. This rewrite updates the steps for Windows 11, adds time zones, daylight saving, formats, command-line tools and fixes for clocks that will not stay right.

Combining the three pages also removes the need to jump between guides for one task. Changing the date, the time and the time zone, and keeping them synced, all happen on the same Settings page, and now they are explained on the same web page too.

Date and time in Windows: frequently asked questions

Ethan's clock has been right for months. His reminders arrive on time, websites load without warnings, and when the clocks changed in November, Windows moved his time back an hour while he slept. He did not touch a setting. The fix had taken two minutes; the wrong zone had cost him a year of late reminders.

Revision note. Written October 3, 2026, combining our guides to changing the time, changing the date and synchronizing the clock in Windows into one complete guide for Windows 11 and 10, with time zones, formats, commands and fixes. May your clock always agree with the world's.