How to bring back classic Clock to Taskbar on Windows 10

If you prefer the classic Clock experience in Windows 10, then use these steps to bring back the old analog-style clock to the system tray.

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Classic Clock on Windows 10
  • On Windows 10, you can no longer bring back the Classic clock to the Taskbar, as Microsoft has completely removed the experience. As a result, using “UseWin32TrayClockExperience” option in the Registry won’t work. 

UPDATE 10/25/2023: Windows 10 brings a lot of new features and improves many of the shortcomings of the previous version. However, not all changes Microsoft is introducing in the new operating system will suit everyone.

If you enjoyed the old analog-style clock from Windows 8 and Windows 7, then you can use a very simple registry change to replace the new digital-style clock in Windows 10 with the old clock.

This guide will walk you through the steps to bring back the classic Clock experience to Windows 10.

Important: Modifying the registry is always risky, as it can cause serious problems to your current installation. You should only proceed if you know what you are doing. It’s always recommended to make a backup of your system before making changes. You have been warned!

Enable classic Clock on Windows 10

To enable the classic Clock experience on Windows 10, use these steps:

  1. Open the Start menu, do a search for regedit, and press Enter.

  2. Browse the following path:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell

  3. On the right pane, right-click, select New, DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it UseWin32TrayClockExperience.

  4. Double-click the new entry and set its value from 0 to 1.

    Classic Clock UseWin32TrayClockExperience registry key in Windows 10

There you have it. Now, click the time on the system tray, and you should see the classic Clock back in Windows 10.

In the case you want to revert to the new Clock experience, simply follow the same instructions mentioned above, but instead of creating a new entry, you’ll need to select the UseWin32TrayClockExperience DWORD and press Delete.

Update October 25, 2023: This guide has been updated to note that this method no longer works on Windows 10.

About the author
Avatar for Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].