How to Set the Date and Time Manually in Windows 11 & 10 (2 Ways)

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Easily update your computer to the correct time and time zone

Co-authored by Glenn Carreau Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: January 12, 2026 Fact Checked

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Setting the Time (Settings)

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Setting the Time (Control Panel)

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Setting the Time Zone (Settings)

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Setting the Time Zone (Control Panel)

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Setting the Time Automatically

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Windows users: if you’re looking for a little more autonomy and want to set your computer’s clock manually, we’re here to help! Luckily, disabling the automatic time and time zone settings on a Windows computer is pretty straightforward—and so is making manual time changes. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of manually setting the time and time zone using either your Settings or Control Panel. Keep reading to learn more!

Quick Steps

Right-click the Start Menu icon and select Settings.
Go to Time & language → Date & time.
Disable the Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically settings.
Click Change next to "Set date and time manually" to adjust the time settings.
Click the drop-down menu next to "Time zone" to select a time zone.

Section 1 of 5:

Setting the Time Manually in Windows Settings

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1
Open your Settings via the Start Menu. Right-click the Windows icon at the bottom of your screen, then select Settings from the list of options shown to open Settings in a new window.
- Alternatively, you can press the Windows Key + i on the keyboard to open Settings.
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Select Time & language → Date & time. In the Settings window, look at the side-bar to the left and select Time & language from the list of tabs. On the Time & language page, select Date & time. This is the page where you can change your time (and time zone) settings!^{[1]
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- On the Date & time page, you should see the current time at the top of the page, followed by a list of settings options.
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3
Disable the “Set time automatically” option. To make manual changes, ensure the Set time automatically option is disabled. If it is, you don’t need to do anything. If it isn’t, switch the toggle to Off.^{[2]
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- When you turn this setting off, you’ll see a new option below labeled Set the date and time manually.
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Click the Change button and make your manual changes. This will open a new window with the heading Change date and time. From here, you’re free to make the desired changes by clicking on each field (the hour, minute, and AM/PM) and adjusting them accordingly.
- When you’re done, click the Change button below to finalize your new settings.

Section 2 of 5:

Setting the Time Manually in Control Panel

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1
Open the Control Panel. There are multiple ways to access your Windows computer’s time settings—and one of them is through its Control Panel application. First, click the Start menu at the bottom of the screen and type control panel into the search field. When Control Panel appears in the search results, click it to open it in a new window.
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Go to Clock and Region → Date and Time. In the Control Panel window, you’ll see several different options; click on Clock and Region (which has a sub-heading in blue text that reads “Change date, time, or number formats”). Then, on the next page, simply select Date and Time.^{[3]
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- When you select Date and Time, a new window will open with all the available date and time settings options.
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Click the Change date and time… button. Look for the button labeled Change date and time… with a little blue and yellow shield next to the text. This is what you need to click on—but you’ll need to be signed in as an administrator for it to work! If you aren’t, Windows will prompt you to sign in.^{[4]
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Make your desired changes and click OK. “Date and Time Settings” is the new window that’ll open as soon as you complete the previous step. In this window, you can manually select the day and time, right down to the minute and second.

Section 3 of 5:

Setting the Time Zone Manually in Windows Settings

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1
Open your Settings via the Start Menu. Just right-click on the Start Menu icon and select Settings from the list of options (or press the Windows Key + i on the keyboard). You’ll find your computer’s time zone settings in the same place as the time and date settings.
In the Settings window, select Time & language from the side-bar menu to the left. Then, on the new page, select Date & time. This is where you can view (and change) your computer’s time zone settings.^{[5]
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3
Disable the “Set time zone automatically” option. Before you can manually set your computer’s time zone, you’ll need to make sure Set the time zone automatically is switched Off (by clicking on the toggle to the right). Once that’s done, the option to make manual changes to the time zone settings will appear below.^{[6]
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- Under the time zone settings, you can also toggle Adjust for daylight saving time automatically on or off, depending on whether you want your computer to make automatic adjustments based on Daylight Saving Time.
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Select your time zone manually from the drop-down menu. Below the now-disabled Set time zone automatically option, you’ll see a new option labeled Time Zone, with the current time zone in a box to the right. Click on the box to view a drop-down menu with all time zone options, and select the one you want to change your computer’s settings.^{[7]
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- Once you select a new time zone, your computer will automatically make the necessary changes.

Section 4 of 5:

Setting the Time Zone Manually in Control Panel

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1
Open the Control Panel. Click on the Start Menu (the Windows icon) at the bottom of your screen and type control panel into the search field. Then, click Control Panel on the list of results to open it in a new window.
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Navigate to “Clock and Region” → “Date and Time.” Just like you would when changing your computer’s time settings, you’ll need to select Clock and Region from the main Control Panel window. Then, on the next page, click on Date and Time to view the time zone settings options. When you select Date and Time, a new window will open.
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Click the “Change time zone…” option. You’ll see a white button labeled Change time zone… in the bottom half of the window. Click on it, and a window labeled Time Zone Settings will open.
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Select your time zone. All that’s left to do is click on the white box with the current time zone; you’ll see a drop-down menu with every possible time zone listed. Scroll through the list and click on the time zone you want. Then, click OK at the bottom of the window to finalize your changes!

Section 5 of 5:

Setting the Time Automatically

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1
Go to Time & language → Date & time in your Settings. If you'd rather have Windows automatically sync the current time, date, and time zone from an internet-based time server, you can re-enable automatic time setting. Open your Settings via the Start Menu, then click on Time & language → Date & time.^{[8]
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- On the Date & time page, you’ll see the current time displayed above a list of settings.
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Switch all of the automatic time settings to ON. View the first grouping of settings on the Date & time page, and switch the toggles for Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically to On. When enabled, the toggles will be white and purple (with “On” next to them).