It happens more than you'd think. You flip open your laptop, expecting to see the exact minute of the day, but the clock is lagging. Or maybe it’s three hours ahead because you just landed in New York and your Mac thinks you're still in San Francisco. It’s annoying. It messes up your calendar invites, breaks your two-factor authentication codes, and can even stop your browser from loading websites because of security certificate mismatches. Basically, knowing how to update time on macbook is one of those tiny skills that saves you a massive headache when the sync fails.
Usually, macOS is pretty smart. It talks to Apple’s Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers and keeps things surgical. But sometimes, the software hangs. Or your location services are acting weird. Or maybe you're one of those people who purposefully keeps their clock five minutes fast so they aren't late to meetings. Whatever the reason, getting under the hood of your System Settings is the only way to get back on track.
The Quick Way to Update Time on MacBook via System Settings
If you're running macOS Ventura, Sonoma, or Sequoia, the interface looks a lot like an iPhone. Gone are the days of the old "System Preferences" grid. Now, everything is tucked away in a sidebar.
To start, click that Apple Logo in the top left corner. Hit System Settings. Once that window pops up, you'll want to scroll down to General and then click on Date & Time.
Here is where the magic (or the frustration) lives. You’ll see a toggle that says Set time and date automatically. If it’s off, turn it on. If it’s already on but the time is still wrong, toggle it off and then back on again. It sounds like the "did you try turning it off and on" cliché, but for NTP synchronization, it actually forces the system to ping the server again.
What if the toggle is greyed out?
This happens. A lot. Usually, it’s because of the little padlock icon that used to exist in older macOS versions, but now it’s often tied to your admin password or Touch ID. If you can’t move the switches, look for any "Modify" or "Unlock" prompts. Also, if your Mac is managed by a company—a "work laptop"—your IT department might have locked these settings using a Mobile Device Management (MDM) profile. If that’s the case, you’re stuck with whatever time they decide is correct unless you have admin rights.
Fixing the Time Zone Trap
Sometimes the time isn't "wrong," it’s just in the wrong place. If your MacBook thinks you're in London but you're actually in Chicago, the clock will be off by six hours.
👉 See also: How to Turn Cookies On and Off Without Breaking Your Favorite Websites
Check the Time Zone tab within that same Date & Time menu. There’s a checkbox for Set time zone automatically using your current location. Honestly, this is the most common point of failure. For this to work, your Mac needs to know where it is. That means you need to have Location Services enabled.
Go to Privacy & Security in your System Settings. Click Location Services. Make sure the main toggle is on, but then scroll all the way to the bottom and find System Services. Click Details. You need to make sure Setting Time Zone is checked. If it isn't, your Mac is essentially flying blind, and the clock won't update when you cross borders or change latitudes.
Using the Terminal for a Hard Reset
For the tech-savvy—or the desperate—there is the Command Line. Sometimes the graphical user interface (GUI) lies to you. It says it's syncing, but it’s not.
Open your Terminal (Command + Space, type "Terminal").
You can force a sync by telling the sntp command to talk to Apple's servers directly. You would type something like:sudo sntp -sS time.apple.com
You’ll have to enter your Mac password. You won't see any dots or asterisks while you type it—just hit enter. This command tells your Mac, "Stop guessing and grab the exact time from Apple right now." It’s an old-school fix, but it works when the System Settings menu is being stubborn.
The PRAM and NVRAM Factor
If your MacBook is older (Intel-based, not the newer M1, M2, or M3 chips), it relies on something called NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory) to remember things like time and volume levels when the power is off. If this memory gets corrupted, your clock might reset to January 1, 2000, every time your battery dies.
To reset this on an Intel Mac:
- Shut down.
- Turn it back on and immediately hold Option + Command + P + R.
- Keep holding for about 20 seconds.
On Apple Silicon Macs (M-series), you don't do this manually. The chip handles it every time the computer restarts. So, if you have a newer Mac and the time is still failing after a reboot, it's almost certainly a software sync issue or a deep-seated macOS bug, not a hardware memory error.
📖 Related: The Tangent to a Curve: Why This One Line Rules Everything in Physics and Finance
Why Accuracy Actually Matters
It’s not just about your ego or being on time for a Zoom call. Modern internet security relies heavily on time. SSL certificates—the things that make websites "HTTPS"—have expiration dates. If your Mac's clock is set to 2015, it will think every modern website's security certificate is from the future and therefore invalid. You'll get "Your connection is not private" errors everywhere.
Also, iCloud. If your time is off by more than a few minutes, iCloud might refuse to sync your notes, photos, or iMessages. It thinks the data is coming from a "desynchronized state" and blocks it to prevent data corruption. Knowing how to update time on macbook is basically the first step in troubleshooting any internet connectivity issue.
Troubleshooting the "Apple Server Unavailable" Error
Rarely, Apple’s servers actually go down. Or, more likely, your local network or firewall is blocking Port 123. This is the port used for NTP. If you’re on a highly restrictive corporate Wi-Fi or using a strict VPN, your Mac might not be able to "hear" the time server.
Try disconnecting your VPN. See if the time snaps back to reality. If it does, you need to whitelist time.apple.com in your VPN settings or talk to your network admin. You can also try changing the server address. Instead of time.apple.com, some people use pool.ntp.org, which is a massive, community-run cluster of time servers that is often more reliable in certain geographic regions.
Actionable Next Steps
If your clock is still acting up, follow this exact sequence to force a resolution:
- Toggle Location Services: Go to Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services and ensure "Setting Time Zone" is active.
- Manual Override: If automatic sync is failing, uncheck "Set time and date automatically," manually type in the correct time, save it, and then re-check the automatic box to see if it "sticks."
- Update macOS: Sometimes time-sync bugs are baked into specific builds of macOS. If you're three versions behind, a system update often contains the patch for NTP daemon hangs.
- Check the Battery: On very old MacBooks, a completely dead CMOS-style battery can cause the clock to drift. If your Mac is from 2012 and loses time every time it's unplugged, it's a hardware issue.
Maintaining a perfectly synced clock is usually a set-it-and-forget-it deal, but when the handshake between your hardware and the global atomic clocks fails, these manual overrides are the only way to stay connected.