How to change date and time formats in Windows 11 regional settings

How to Change Date and Time Formats in 🪟 Windows 10 and 11

Windows offers direct built-in options to modify how your system presents hours, minutes, short dates, and long dates. Adjusting these formats changes how timestamps appear on your taskbar 🖥️, in File Explorer 📁, and across most installed desktop applications.

Method 1Using Windows Settings

You can change time format in Windows through the main Settings app ⚙️ without needing administrator rights. This method lets you quickly adjust how dates and times appear on your screen by accessing the regional preferences menu, making it the easiest way to update your display layouts.

1. Open Settings ⚙️ by pressing the Win+I keys simultaneously.

   

2. Select Time & language from the left-hand navigation menu.

   

3. Click on Language & region (or Region in some Windows 10 builds).
4. Scroll down to the Related settings section and click on Regional format to expand the available options.
5. Click the Change format drop-down menu to view preset regional combinations, or click the Change format button to modify individual short date, long date, short time, and long time fields independently.

   

6. Choose your preferred formats from the individual drop-down menus for short date, long date, short time, and long time.

Method 2Using Control Panel

You can change date and time formats using Control Panel 🎛️ when you need deeper control over your regional settings. This classic tool lets you choose from standard layout options for your short time, long time, short date, and long date displays directly through the Region properties window.

1. Open the Start menu ⊞, type Control Panel 🎛️, and press Enter.

   

2. Set the “View by” option in the top right corner to Large icons or Small icons.
3. Click on Region to open the Region properties window.

   

4. Verify that you are on the Formats tab.
5. Click the Short time or Long time drop-down menus to switch between 12-hour and 24-hour configurations, or click Short date and Long date to select alternative date layouts.

   

6. Click the Apply button to save your changes, then click OK to close the window.

Method 3Creating Custom Date and Time Formats

You can create custom date and time formats in Windows by typing specific letter codes directly into the Control Panel 🎛️ boxes. This approach is helpful when standard preset layouts do not match your exact needs, allowing you to build your own structure using tokens for days, months, and years.

1. Open the Start menu, type Control Panel, and press Enter.
2. Select Region and ensure you are on the Formats tab.
3. Locate the Short date field and type your custom token combination directly into the box. Use d for day, M for month, and y for year (for example, typing dd-MMM-yyyy displays the date as 22-Oct-2024).
4. Locate the Short time field and type your desired tokens, using h or hh for 12-hour time with an AM/PM designator, or H or HH for a 24-hour clock.
5. Click Apply followed by OK to enforce the custom token layout across your operating system.

A Closer Look at Date and Time Formats in Windows

Windows regional formats control how applications display text-based dates and which separator characters divide days, months, and years. Changing these formatting rules updates how you view time on your computer, but it does not alter your hardware clock or change your absolute time zone.

Troubleshooting Common Issues with Date and Time Formats

Sometimes format modifications fail to stick or behave unexpectedly due to regional profile mismatches or overriding system policies.

The Date or Time Format Reverts After a Restart

You can fix this issue by opening Control Panel, going to the Region menu, and copying your current format choices over to the welcome screen and system accounts.

24-Hour Format Not Applying Correctly

Fixing the issue requires you to update the short time field specifically within your Control Panel or Settings app, because the system tray clock relies on that parameter.

Can I change the time format without changing the date format?

Yes, you can modify the time format independently of the date format. Access the Region settings through the Control Panel, locate the time fields, and adjust your preferred 12-hour or 24-hour layout while leaving your existing short and long date configurations completely untouched.

Why do my date and time format changes not apply immediately?

Some desktop applications cache regional settings and require a complete restart to reflect new time formats. If your taskbar or open programs do not update right away, sign out of your Windows user account and sign back in to force all running processes to reload.

How do I switch between 12-hour and 24-hour formats?

Open the Settings app, navigate to Time & language, select Language & region, and expand Regional format. From there, you can choose a different regional preset or pick individual time formats that explicitly include or omit the AM/PM designator.

What to do next

You can verify your new time and date layouts immediately on the system tray clock and throughout File Explorer after saving your regional settings. The next step is to configure your time zone and automatic synchronization settings if you need to align your system clock with internet time servers.