Windows 10 is almost a decade old, yet people are still constantly searching for how to change the time on Windows 10. It sounds like such a basic task. You’d think by 2026, operating systems would just know where you are and what second it is without any friction. But they don't. Sometimes you wake up, look at your taskbar, and realize your PC thinks it’s three hours ago or, weirder, next Tuesday.
It happens.
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Usually, it’s a CMOS battery dying on an old motherboard. Or maybe you traveled across state lines with your laptop and the location services decided to take a nap. Whatever the reason, having the wrong time isn't just a minor annoyance that makes you late for Zoom calls. It actually breaks the internet. If your system clock is out of sync with a website's security certificate, you'll get those scary "Your connection is not private" errors in Chrome or Edge.
Let's just get into how to fix it without the fluff.
The Fast Way: Using the Settings App
Most of the time, you don't need to be a systems administrator to fix this. Microsoft buried the classic Control Panel stuff, so now we use the "Settings" gear.
First, look at your taskbar. Right-click the digital clock in the bottom right corner. You'll see a menu pop up. Click on Adjust date/time. This is the shortcut that saves you about four clicks through the Start menu.
Once that window opens, you're looking at the "Date & time" screen. There is a big toggle that says Set time automatically. If that is turned off, turn it on. Honestly, this is what fixes it for 90% of people. If it’s already on but the time is still wrong, toggle it off and then back on again. It’s the classic "have you tried turning it off and on again" move, but for your clock.
Forcing a Sync
Sometimes the automatic toggle fails because your computer hasn't "talked" to the time server in a while. Scroll down a bit on that same page. You will see a section called Synchronize your clock. There is a button that says Sync now.
Click it.
You might see a little spinning circle. If it works, you get a nice green checkmark. If it fails, it usually means your internet connection is wonky or the Windows Time service is stuck in the background. We can fix that too, but let's try the easy stuff first.
Doing it Manually (When Automation Fails)
Maybe you're a gamer and you're trying to cheese a cooldown timer in a single-player game. Or maybe you’re a developer testing how a piece of software handles leap years. Sometimes you want the wrong time.
To do this, you have to turn off Set time automatically.
Once that’s off, the Change button under "Set the date and time manually" becomes clickable. Click it. A little box pops up where you can pick the day, month, year, and the exact minute. Hit "Change" and your system clock will instantly jump to whatever you told it to be.
Just a heads up: If you do this and then try to browse the web, expect things to break. Modern encryption relies heavily on "timestamps." If your PC thinks it’s 2010, it won’t trust a security certificate issued in 2025.
The Time Zone Trap
Here is where most people get tripped up. You can have the "time" right but the "time zone" wrong, and it will still mess with your calendar invites.
On that same settings page, look at the Time zone dropdown. If you moved from New York to Los Angeles and didn't update this, your PC might show the "right" time because you manually changed it, but your Outlook or Google Calendar will be a disaster.
- Make sure Set time zone automatically is toggled on if you travel a lot.
- If you're stationary, pick your specific city or zone (like UTC-05:00 Eastern Time) from the list.
Dealing with the CMOS Battery Issue
If you find yourself searching for how to change the time on Windows 10 every single time you boot up your computer, you don't have a software problem. You have a hardware problem.
Inside your desktop or laptop is a tiny, silver coin-shaped battery called a CR2032. This is the CMOS battery. Its only job is to keep the motherboard's clock running while the power is off. These batteries usually last 5 to 10 years.
When they die, your BIOS/UEFI resets to its factory date every time the power is cut. You'll see your clock revert to something like January 1, 2015. If this is happening, no amount of Windows settings tweaks will permanently fix it. You need to pop the case open and swap that $2 battery.
Command Line Magic: For the Power Users
Sometimes the UI just hangs. It happens. Windows 10 can be finicky. If the Settings app is being stubborn, you can force a time change using the Command Prompt.
- Hit the Windows key and type cmd.
- Right-click it and select Run as Administrator. This is vital. You can't change system time as a "standard" user.
- To change the date, type
date 01-15-2026(or whatever date you want) and hit Enter. - To change the time, type
time 14:30:00(this uses a 24-hour clock) and hit Enter.
If you want to force a resync with the official government atomic clocks, type w32tm /resync. This tells Windows to go talk to time.windows.com right now and get the truth.
Why Does My Time Keep Changing Back?
It is incredibly frustrating when you set the time and five minutes later it jumps back to being wrong. This usually happens because of a conflict between Windows and your hardware clock (RTC).
If you are dual-booting Linux and Windows, you've probably seen this. Linux likes to think the hardware clock is in UTC (Universal Coordinated Time), while Windows thinks the hardware clock is in your local time. They will constantly fight over it. Every time you switch OS, the time moves by several hours.
To fix this, you usually have to edit the Windows Registry to tell it to use UTC.
- Open Regedit.
- Navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TimeZoneInformation. - Create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value called
RealTimeIsUniversal. - Set the value to
1.
This makes Windows play nice with other operating systems and modern server standards.
The Role of the "Windows Time" Service
Behind the scenes, there is a literal "service" running that manages all of this. If this service is disabled, the how to change the time on Windows 10 steps won't stick.
You can check this by hitting Win + R, typing services.msc, and hitting Enter. Scroll all the way down to the bottom. Look for Windows Time.
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The status should ideally be "Running." If it’s "Disabled," right-click it, go to properties, change the startup type to "Manual" or "Automatic," and then click "Start." This is often the culprit in corporate environments where IT departments mess with group policies.
Key Takeaways for Keeping Your Clock Accurate
Stop manually entering the time unless you absolutely have to. It's a losing battle. The best way to manage your system clock is to ensure your Time Zone is correct and let the NTP (Network Time Protocol) servers do the heavy lifting.
Check these three things in order:
- Location Services: Is Windows allowed to see where you are? If not, it can't set the time zone automatically.
- The Sync Button: Use it. It clears up 99% of "drift" issues where your clock is off by a few seconds or minutes.
- The Battery: If your PC is old, just replace the CMOS battery. It’s cheaper than the headache of fixing your clock every morning.
If you are still seeing errors after all this, check your router's settings. Sometimes a firewall or a "parental control" filter will block Port 123, which is the specific "door" the internet uses to send time data. If Port 123 is closed, your computer is essentially deaf to the world's clocks.
Open your Settings right now, hit that Sync Now button, and make sure your Time Zone actually matches the city you're sitting in. It takes ten seconds and prevents a world of weird software bugs.
Once that's done, check your Windows Update status. Occasionally, Microsoft drops "Daylight Savings" patches for specific regions that have changed their laws. Staying updated ensures you don't end up an hour early or late when the seasons change.