How to Change Your Windows Clock's Time Format

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Easy steps to switch between 12- and 24-hour time formats

Written by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: May 12, 2026 Fact Checked

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Change Clock Format

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Add Seconds to Clock

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Change Time Zone

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Add Clocks to Taskbar

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In Windows, the system tray clock is usually in 12-hour format by default and doesn't display seconds. This might work for some people, but if it doesn't work for you, don't fret—there are a few easy ways you can change your time format in Windows. In this article, we'll go over all the ways to tweak the clock in Windows 10 and 11. Read on to learn how.

Changing Time Format in Windows

To change the clock format in Windows, go to Settings > Time & language > Date & time. You can change your time format in a few ways:

To change between the 12- and 24-hour formats, click Change the date and time format, then select "Short time" or "Long time."
To add seconds to the system tray clock, click Show time and date in the System tray and select "Show seconds in system tray clock (uses more power)".
To change your time zone, toggle off "Set time zone automatically," then choose a new time zone.
To add more clocks to the system tray, click Show time and date in the System tray and select Change next to another clock.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Change Clock to 12- or 24-Hour Format

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1
Open your Windows settings. The easiest way to do this is to press ⊞ Win+I. Your settings menu will pop up.
- Use this method to switch to the 24-hour time format (also known as Military Time in the United States).
It's in the left-hand sidebar, with an icon of a globe and a clock.

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It's the first option in this menu, with an icon of a clock and a calendar.
It's near the middle of the screen, and it has an icon of a globe with a small clock.
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Click the dropdown next to "Short time." In this dropdown, you can choose whether you want your short time (displayed in the system tray) to use the 12-hour format (AM/PM) or the 24-hour format.
- You can also choose whether your clock always shows two digits for the hour, adding a leading zero when the hour isn't 10, 11, or 12.
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Click the dropdown next to "Long time." Once again, you can choose whether you want the 12-hour or 24-hour time format when your computer displays long times (including seconds).
- By default, the system tray doesn't show seconds. If you want to learn how to enable these, continue to the next section.
If you're using the 12-hour clock, you can change the AM and PM symbols. Simply click Change next to "AM/PM symbol" and type a new symbol for AM and PM (for example, "a.m." and "p.m.").

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Add Seconds to Clock

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The easiest way to do this is to press ⊞ Win+I. Your settings menu will pop up.
It's in the left-hand sidebar, and it has an icon of a globe and a clock.
It's the first option in this menu, and it has an icon of a clock and a calendar.
This will be toggled on by default, but make sure not to click the toggle; instead, click the bar itself. This will expand more options.
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Click the checkbox next to "Show seconds in system tray clock (uses more power)." The system tray clock (in the lower-right corner) will now show the long time instead of the short time, which includes seconds.^{[1]
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- This uses more power, so if you use a laptop, you may notice your battery dies faster when this option is enabled.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Change Time Zone

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The easiest way to do this is to press ⊞ Win+I. Your settings menu will pop up.
It's in the left-hand sidebar, and it has an icon of a globe and a clock.
It's the first option in this menu, and it has an icon of a clock and a calendar.
If this option is grayed out, you'll need to enable location services to change your time zone. Alternatively, you can toggle off Set time automatically and manually type the time for the time zone you want to switch to.
Your Windows clock will automatically update to display the time for the time zone you selected.^{[2]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Add Other Clocks to System Tray

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1
Open your Windows settings. The easiest way to do this is to press ⊞ Win+I. Your settings menu will pop up.
- Use this method to add a clock for another region to the right side of the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. This can be helpful if you need to communicate with people in different time zones.
It's in the left-hand sidebar, and it has an icon of a globe and a clock.
It's the first option in this menu, and it has an icon of a clock and a calendar.
This will be toggled on by default, but make sure not to click the toggle; instead, click the bar itself. This will expand more options.
In Windows, you can display up to two additional clocks when you click or hover on the system tray clock. This is helpful if you need to easily see what time it is in another time zone (such as for work, or if you have family that lives overseas).
Click the dropdown and choose the time zone for the clock you want to add.
By default, the clock will be named "Clock 1." However, you can choose to rename the clock if you wish.
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Click Change to add this clock. When you hover over the system tray clock, it shows both the current time and the time for the clock(s) you've added. If you click the system tray clock, your additional clocks will be displayed above the calendar.
- To add another clock, repeat these steps next to "Additional clock 2."
- To change the time zone for your additional clock, click Change again.
- To remove an additional clock, click the three-dot icon next to the "Change" button, then click Reset.