How to Fix Windows 11 Showing Wrong Time

Is Windows 11 showing the wrong time on the taskbar?

One of the most basic features of Windows 11 is the date and time display on the Taskbar. This helps us keep track of time without having to leave our computers or shift our focus from the monitor. 

However, the date and time on the taskbar aren’t always accurate and could cause us to miss important meetings and deadlines. 

If you are reading this, we can assume that Windows 11 is showing the wrong time on your computer. 

There are several reasons why this occurs. First, the timezone settings on your computer may not be set correctly. It’s also possible that automatic date and time are not enabled, or the CMOS battery on your motherboard is faulty. 

To help out, we’ve decided to make a guide on how to fix Windows 11 if it’s showing the wrong time on your computer. 

Let’s get started!

1. Set the Clock Manually. 

The first way to solve this issue on Windows 11 is to set your time manually. While this might look inconvenient, it is one of the best ways to keep the time on your computer as accurate as possible. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

  1. First, press the Windows + I keys on your keyboard to open Windows Settings
  2. After that, go to Time & Language on the sidebar. 
  3. Choose Date & Time from the options and look for the Set Time Automatically option and disable it. 
  4. Now, click the Change button beside the Set the Date and Time Manually option. 
  5. Configure the date and time on your system and hit Change to save. 
Set Time Manually

Restart your computer afterward, and the correct date and time should now be displayed on the Taskbar. 

2. Sync Date and Time Manually. 

Microsoft features a ‘Time Server’ that lets users sync the clocks on their Windows computer. If Windows 11 is showing the wrong time, we suggest manually syncing your date and time settings. 

See the steps below to sync your date and time settings: 

  1. First, go to the Start Menu and access Windows Settings
  2. After that, click on the Time & Language tab. 
  3. Scroll down to Additional Settings and click on Sync Now
windows 11 showing wrong time

Close Windows Settings afterward, and the correct time should be set on your computer. Additionally, you can also enable the Set Time Automatically option 

3. Set Time Zone Manually. 

There’s also a chance that the wrong time zone is set on your computer, causing the wrong time to be shown on. To rule this out, try setting your system’s time zone manually to select the most accurate region based on your location. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

  1. Access Windows Settings on your computer by pressing the Windows + I keys on your keyboard. 
  2. Now, go to Time & Language and disable the Set Time Zone Automatically option. 
  3. Click on the drop-down menu next to the Time Zone tab and choose the correct region. 
windows 11 showing wrong time

Save the changes and restart your computer. Check if the correct date and time are showing on the taskbar. 

4. Change Time Server. 

Internet Server Time is used to keep Windows’ system clock accurate, which makes it very important to keep your internet time updated. If the wrong date or time is set on your computer, you might have a hard time accessing websites and online platforms. 

See the steps below to change your Time Server: 

  1. Access the Start Menu on your computer and look for Control Panel
  2. Now, click on ‘Change date, time, or number formats’ under Clock and Region
  1. Click on Set the Time and Date afterward and go to Internet Time
  2. If you don’t see any options on the next page, click the Change Settings button and follow the prompts. 
Date and Time Internet Time
  1. Select a different server from the dropdown menu and hit OK to save the changes. 
windows 11 showing wrong time

Restart your computer and see if the correct time is being shown. 

5. Check Windows Time Service. 

There’s a possibility that the Windows Time Service is not running automatically on your computer, explaining why your date and time settings go out of sync all the time.

To fix this, see the guide below to start Windows Time Service: 

  1. Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard to open the Run Command
  2. Now, type services.msc and hit Enter
  3. On the Services window, look for Windows Time and left-click on it twice. 
  4. Finally, change the Startup Type to Automatic and hit OK
windows 11 showing wrong time

Once done, restart Windows and check if the problem is solved. 

6. Update Windows. 

The version of Windows you’re using might have an issue that is related to system time and timekeeping. If this is the case, try updating Windows to the latest version to patch errors and other issues. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

  1. Launch Windows Settings by pressing the Windows + I keys on your keyboard. 
  2. After that, click on Windows Update on the side menu. 
  3. Finally, choose Check for Updates or Download and Install to proceed. 
windows 11 showing wrong time

Reboot your system to apply the changes and see if the correct date and time settings on your computer are being shown. 

7. Force Windows to Sync Time Using CMD. 

If Windows 11 is still showing the wrong time, you can try forcing Windows to sync the date and time using CMD. 

See the steps below to guide you through the process: 

  1. Head to the Start Menu and look for Command Prompt
  2. Now, click on Run as an Administrator
  3. Inside CMD, type the following commands one by one and hit Enter
  • net stop w32time
  • w32tm /unregister
  • w32tm /register
  • net start w32time
  • w32tm /resync

Restart your system after executing the commands and see if the problem is solved. 

8. Check CMOS.

If your computer’s time keeps getting out of sync, there’s a good chance that the CMOS battery on your motherboard is failing. This is a small memory on your motherboard that stores Basic Input/Output System settings, including date and time.

You can replace the CMOS battery by yourself or bring it to the nearest service center to have a professional do it for you.

9. Contact Windows. 

If none of the solutions above worked, the last thing you can do is let the professionals handle the situation. 

Head to Windows’ support page and report the issue you’ve been experiencing with Windows 11’s date and time settings. Try adding a screenshot of your configurations to help their team assess the situation. 

windows 11 showing wrong time

That ends our guide on how to fix Windows 11 if it’s showing the wrong time. If you have questions, please leave a comment below, and we’ll do our best to answer them.

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • John Sixto

    John is a staff writer at Saint and comes from a SAP ABAP development background. He has a Bachelors in IT and has been writing since 2018, with over 500 posts published. He loves to build PCs and has a deep curiosity in understanding how different components and configurations work. John spends hundreds of hours at a time, researching and testing the software and apps, before he proceeds to write about it. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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