How to change time and date on Windows 11

Here's the easiest way to change the System Tray clock time and date (including formats) on Windows 11.

Windows 11 change time and date
Windows 11 change time and date
  • To change time on Windows 11, open Settings > Time & language > Date & time, click “Change,” and adjust the clock as necessary.
  • To change time format, open Settings > Time & language > Date & time, click “Change date and time” and “Change calendar settings,” and choose the time formats.

On Windows 11, the easiest way to change the date and time is from the Settings app. In addition, you can change the formats to show a 12 or 24-hour clock or adjust the date to make it easier to read.

Although the system can maintain the System Tray clock automatically, for various reasons, sometimes you may need to adjust the date and time manually. For example, if the computer’s clock cannot contact the time servers online, the firmware’s battery no longer holds a charge, or you change the geographical location.

Regardless of the reason, it’s crucial to have an accurate time on a computer to avoid problems connecting with online services and apps since the system relies on this information for security and to function correctly. If you must change the time, Windows 11 includes various settings to correct the date and time and change the display formats. You can even adjust the date and time from Command Prompt or PowerShell.

This guide will teach you the steps to change the date and time on Windows 11.

Change clock time and date on Windows 11

To change the time and date in the Taskbar, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

  2. Click on Time & language.

  3. Click the Date & time page.

    Quick tip: You can also right-click the bottom-right corner of the Taskbar and select the “Adjust date and time” option to access the settings faster.
  4. Turn off the “Set time automatically” toggle switch (if applicable).

  5. Click the Change button for the “Set the date and time manually” setting.

    Disable auto date and time

  6. Change the clock time and date on Windows 11.

  7. Click the Change button.

    Change time and date on Windows 11

  8. Turn off the “Set time zone automatically” toggle switch. (Otherwise, the “Time zone” option will be grayed out.)

    Change time zone on Windows 11

  9. Select the correct zone based on your location using the “Time zone” setting (if applicable).

  10. Turn on the “Adjust for daylight saving time automatically” toggle switch (if applicable).

Once you complete the steps, the System Tray will reflect the updated date and time information for Windows 11.

Change clock time and date automatically on Windows 11

To set the correct time and date automatically on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Click on Time & language.

  3. Click the Date & time page.

  4. Turn on the “Set time automatically” toggle switch.

    Change time automatically

  5. Turn on the “Adjust for daylight saving time automatically” toggle switch.

  6. Under the “Additional settings” section, click the Sync now button to fix the clock when the set time automatically is not working or the time is wrong.

After you complete the steps, the system will update the clock and show the correct time and date.

Change clock time and date formats on Windows 11

To change the clock time and date formats on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Click on Time & language.

  3. Click the Date & time page.

  4. Under the “Related links” section, click the Additional clocks setting.

    Additional clocks

  5. Click the Date and Time tab.

  6. Click the “Change date and time” button.

    Change date and time

  7. Click the “Change calendar settings” option.

    Change calendar settings

  8. Under the “Date and time formats” section, use the “Short date” setting to select the date format. For example, “dd/mm/yyyy.”

    Change date and time formats

  9. Use the “Short time” setting to select the clock time and date format.

  10. Click the Apply button.

  11. Click the OK button.

  12. Click the OK button again.

  13. Click the OK button one more time.

Once you complete the steps, the System Tray will reflect the new format for the date and time on Windows 11.

If you want to show seconds, this feature is expected to arrive in future updates. However, you can enable seconds for the clock in the latest preview of Windows 11.

Change clock time and date from Command Prompt on Windows 11

To change the time and date from Command Prompt, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to change the time (24-hour) and press Enter:

    time HH:MM

    Change time Command Prompt

    Quick tip: To set time in AM use the “time HH:MM AM” command or “time HH:MM PM” to set the time in the PM. Of course, make sure to change “HH:MM” with the current hour and minutes.
  4. Type the following command to change the date and press Enter:

    date mm-dd-yy

    Change date Command Prompt

    Quick note: You can also run the “date” command and then you will be prompted to enter the correct date format.

Once you complete the steps, the Taskbar should reflect the new time and date.

Change clock time and date from PowerShell on Windows 11

To change the time and date from PowerShell, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to change the time (24-hour) and press Enter:

    Set-Date -Date "HH:MM"

    Change time PowerShell

    Quick tip: To set time in AM use the “Set-Date -Date HH:MM AM” command or “Set-Date -Date HH:MM PM” to set the time in the PM. Of course, make sure to change “HH:MM” with the current hour and minutes.
  4. Type the following command to change the date and press Enter:

    Set-Date -Date mm-dd-yy

    Change date PowerShell

After you complete the steps, the PowerShell commands will correct the time and date on Windows 11.

About the author

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].