Ensuring your Mac has the correct date and time is crucial. It affects the timestamp on your emails, the scheduling of automated tasks, the timing of reminders, and much more.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through troubleshooting steps if your Mac consistently reverts to an incorrect date and time.
Let’s begin!
TL;DR Version
Is your Mac reverting to the wrong date and time? Try these fixes:
1. Enable ‘Set Date and Time Automatically’ Setting
To keep your Mac’s date and time accurate, I suggest enabling the automatic setting feature. This allows your Mac to adjust these settings based on your current location.
Follow these steps:
- Click the Apple Menu at the top-left corner of your screen.
- Select System Settings.
- Go to General, then Date & Time.
- Turn on Set Date and Time Automatically.
2. Switch to a Different Time Server
If incorrect date or time issues persist on your Mac, consider using an alternate time server. While Apple’s time server is the default choice, it may experience temporary issues.
To change your Mac’s time server:
- Click the Apple logo at the top-left corner of your screen.
- Choose System Settings from the drop-down menu.
- Go to General and then to Date & Time.
- Select the Set button next to ‘Source’.
- Choose a different time server, such as:
- time.google.com
- time.facebook.com
- time.windows.com
- Time.cloudflare.com
3. Enable ‘Setting Time Zone’ Option
For those who travel often, enabling location-based time zone settings on your Mac can be very useful.
To do this:
- Click the Apple Menu at the top-left corner of your screen.
- Select System Settings.
- In the sidebar, choose General.
- Navigate to the Date & Time tab.
- Turn on Set Time Zone Automatically Using Your Current Location.
- Then, move to Privacy & Security in the sidebar.
- Scroll to System Services and click Details.
- Check the box for Setting Time Zone.
- Click Done.
4. Adjust Your Region Settings
Incorrect region settings on your Mac can lead to date and time discrepancies. Adjusting your Mac’s region is a simple process.
To update your region settings:
- Click the Apple Menu at the top-left corner of your screen.
- Choose System Settings.
- In the sidebar, select General.
- Navigate to Language & Region.
- Use the drop-down menu next to ‘Region’ to select your correct country or current location.
5. Manually Set Date and Time Setting
If all automated options above fail, I suggest setting your date and time manually.
Follow the guide below:
- Click the Apple Menu at the top-left corner of your screen.
- Select System Settings.
- From the sidebar, choose General.
- Navigate to the Date & Time tab.
- Turn off Set Date and Time Automatically.
- Click Set next to Date and Time.
- Manually adjust the date and time as needed.
6. Update to the Latest macOS Version
If you’re still experiencing date and time issues, updating your Mac to the latest version can help resolve potential bugs or glitches.
To check for and install software updates:
- Click the Apple Menu at the top-left corner of your screen.
- Choose System Settings.
- Navigate to General.
- Select Software Update to see if any updates are available and follow the prompts to install.
Important Notes
- Your Mac may restart several times while installing the update.
- The update progress bar might also appear to be stuck. When this happens, don’t do anything. Software updates can take several minutes to complete.
FAQs
Why does my MacBook keep showing the wrong date and time?
This issue often occurs when automatic date and time settings are disabled. To enable them:
- Click the Apple Menu in the upper-left corner.
- Select System Settings.
- Choose General and then Date & Time.
- Turn on Set Date and Time Automatically.
- Also, enable Set Time Zone Automatically Using Your Current Location.
Why does my Mac keep changing the date and time?
If your MacBook frequently changes its date and time, it’s likely due to the location-based setting. This feature adjusts the date and time based on your current location, which is particularly noticeable across different time zones.
To disable this setting:
- Access the Apple Menu.
- Go to System Settings.
- Click General and select Date & Time.
- Turn off Set Time Zone Automatically Using Your Current Location.
Why is my automatic date and time wrong?
Incorrect automatic date and time can result from an inaccurate region setting on your Mac.
To correct this:
- Access the Apple Menu.
- Select System Settings.
- Go to General and open Date & Time.
- Enable Set Time Zone Automatically Using Your Current Location.
- Then, navigate to Language & Region.
- Use the drop-down menu beside ‘Region’ to select your appropriate country or location.
What is the time server for Mac?
Apple devices default to using time.apple.com as their time server. You can change this if needed or if there are issues with Apple’s server.
To change the time server:
- Click the Apple logo.
- Choose System Settings from the menu.
- Navigate to General > Date & Time.
- Click the Set button next to ‘Source’
