How to Enable or Disable Seconds in Windows 11 System Tray Clock

Windows 11 includes a feature that lets you see the exact time down to the second in your taskbar. This guide shows you how to turn this setting on or off.

Why show seconds?

Some users need to track time with high precision for work or timing tasks. Seeing seconds in your system tray clock provides an instant, accurate reference without needing a separate timer app.

What happens when done?

Once you apply these changes, your clock in the bottom-right corner of the screen will either display or hide the ticking seconds, depending on your choice.

This feature is available in recent versions of Windows build 25247. You can customize the taskbar and system tray on multiple monitors or choose to show various time zones in the system tray. This update arrived in the latest DEV builds.

Method 1: Using the Settings App

This is the easiest way to change your clock settings.

1. Open the Windows Settings app by clicking the Start menu and selecting the gear icon.
2. 
4. Click on Personalization in the left menu.
5. 
7. On the right side, click on Taskbar.
8. 
10. Scroll down and click Taskbar behaviors to open the menu.
11. Check the box next to Show seconds in the system tray clock to turn them on. Uncheck the box to hide them.
12. 
14. Close the Settings app.

Method 2: Using the Windows Registry

If the settings menu does not work, you can use the Windows Registry. Warning: This method requires admin privileges.

1. Open the Windows Registry by typing regedit in your Start menu search bar.
2. Go to the following path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
3. 
5. Look for the value named ShowSecondsInSystemClock on the right side. If you do not see it, right-click an empty space, select New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it ShowSecondsInSystemClock.
6. Double-click the value. Change the data to 1 to show seconds, or 0 to hide them.
7. 
9. Close the Registry Editor.

Summary

You can easily control whether your Windows 11 taskbar clock shows seconds through the Settings app or the Windows Registry. Use the Settings app for a simple interface, or use the Registry method if you prefer advanced system tweaks.