Windows 11 offers several improvements over its predecessor, including a new user interface, native Android app support, a revised Start Menu and Settings app, among other things. Users appear to be having trouble with the new UI and design aspects, as evidenced by the frequent inquiries about how to modify the date and time in Microsoft’s newest operating system. We have you covered if that is the reason you are here. This article will demonstrate how to modify Windows 11’s date and time settings.
Change Date and Time in Windows 11 (2021)
We’ve already covered a lot of the new features in Windows 11, how it differs from Windows 10, and how to customise the Start Menu and taskbar on your computer. Since everyone using a Windows 11 computer will eventually need to adjust the date and time setting, today’s tutorial is a little more basic. Let’s now go to learning how to modify the date and time in Windows 11.
Four Methods to Change Date and Time in Windows 11
Microsoft changed the way users may adjust the date and time in Windows 10 and Windows 11 by using the Settings menu. Although you can still adjust the date and time in Windows 11 the same way you could in Windows 7/8/8.1 and older OS versions. In this article, we’ll show each technique in action. Additionally, we’ll demonstrate how to modify Windows 11’s date and time formatting.
Method 1: Change Date and Time Through Settings
The most straightforward method in Windows 11 to achieve this is probably through Settings. This is how:
- Right-click on the clock icon at the bottom-right corner of your taskbar and select Adjust date and time .
The identical date and time adjustment option is also available in Settings (Windows key + I) -> Time and Language -> Date and Time.
- In the Date and Time settings window, you can either stick with the default setting to set time and date automatically or manually set the date and time on your Windows 11 PC. To opt for the manual option, turn off the toggle for Set time automatically . Then, hit the Change button next to Set the date and time manually .
- In the next window, set the date and time using the drop-down menus, and then click Change to confirm.
There it is. Your Windows 11 computer’s date and time settings have been successfully adjusted.
Change Time and Date Format Through Settings
In Windows 11, you can modify the date and time format in addition to the actual time and date from the Settings panel. This is how it goes:
- Navigate to Settings > Time and Language , as described earlier. Now on the right pane, click on the Language and Region tile.
- On the Language and Region settings page, click on Regional format . Now, on the drop-down panel, hit the Change formats button.
- You will now be able to change the time and date formats. For date, you can choose from dd/mm/yy, mm/dd/yy, and several other options, while for time, you can choose between 12-hour (AM/PM) or 24-hour clock. To change any option, click on the drop-down menu next to it and make your selection.
Method 2: Change Date and Time via Control Panel
Windows has always offered the ability to change the date and time on your computer through the Control Panel. Here is how to utilise it in Windows 11, which still supports it:
- Firstly, open Control Panel on your Windows 11 computer. To do that, search for control (without quotes) in the Windows search bar and select Control Panel from the results.
- In the Control Panel, make sure you use the (small or large) Icons view. Then, select Date and Time .
- On the pop-up window, click on Change date and time .
- On the next page, you can change the date by clicking on the correct date, while the time can be changed using the tiny up and down arrows below the analog clock. Hit OK once you are done.
Change Time and Date Format via Control Panel
Prior to Windows 10, there was no Settings option in Windows, thus the Control Panel was pretty much the only place to make changes. Naturally, you can alter the date and time format using this technique. This is how:
- To change the date and time format, move to Control Panel -> Date and Time -> Change date and time as described earlier. Then, click on Change calendar settings
- Here, you can use the drop-down menus to select the time format and date format. Once you are done, click Apply or OK to save your changes.
Method 3: Change Time and Date Using PowerShell
PowerShell is a little-known technique for updating the date and time in Windows. Although it’s not as simple as the techniques mentioned above, we believe you should still be able to do it. Here is how to use Windows PowerShell to modify the data and time on your Windows 11 computer:
- First, open Windows PowerShell in Admin mode on your PC. To do that, search for powershell in the Windows search bar and click Run as Administrator.
- In the PowerShell window, you can use one single command to change both date and time in one go:
Set-Date -Date "dd/mm/yyyy HH:MM AM"orSet-Date -Date "dd/mm/yyyy HH:MM PM"depending on whether it is morning or evening. - For example, we will use the following command to set the date to October 1st, 2021 and the time to 6:00 PM on our Windows 11 PC:
Set-Date -Date "01/10/2021 6:00 PM". For 24-hour format, omit the AM/PM parameter. Instead, use the following syntax:Set-Date -Date "01/10/2021 18:00"
Note: The format you have already selected in Settings or Control Panel will determine whether you should use dd/mm/yyyy or mm/dd/yyyy.
Method 4: Change Date and Time Using Command Prompt
The trusted Command Prompt is the last choice on our list. In Windows 11, you can modify the date and time by using the command line tool. This is how the procedure goes:
- Open a Command Prompt window in Admin mode. To do that, search for cmd (without quotes) in the Windows search bar and click Run as Administrator .
- To set a new date, use the following command:
date dd/mm/yyyy. Again, I m using dd/mm because my PC is set up that way, but if you are following the mm/dd format, use that in the Command Prompt. You can change it to mm/dd using either of the first two methods described above. For example, to change the date to October 1st, 2021, we use the following command:date 01/10/2021
- To change the time, type the command
time HH:MMin the Command Prompt window and hit Enter. Of course, replace HH and MM with the correct hour and minute, either in the 12-hr or 24-hr format. For example, to change the time to 06:10 AM, we will use the command:time 06:10. To change the time to 6:10 PM, we will use the command:time 18:10ortime 6:10 PM
Sync Your PC With Global Servers to Automatically Adjust Date and Time
The procedures listed below can be used to sync your Windows 11 computer’s date and time with Microsoft’s world servers:
- Go to Control Panel -> Date and Time as described in Method 2. Now, navigate to the Internet Time tab and click the Change settings button.
- On the next pop-up, select your preferred server from the drop-down menu. Finally, click on Update now . The time and date will both synchronize within a second or two.
Note: To set the time manually, uncheck the box next to “Synchronize with an internet time server” and then click “OK” to save your selection (see screenshot above).
Easily Change Clock and Calendar Settings on Your PC
The instructions in this video make it simple to modify the time and date settings in Windows 11. So go ahead and change the date and time on your computer, and then let us know whether you still find the procedures to be understandable. Or, do you believe that with the upcoming release of Windows, Microsoft should make it simpler to adjust the clock settings? Check out some of our other Windows 11 tutorials while you’re here, like how to modify Windows 11’s power mode settings and alter the administrator.