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how do i fix windows time setting

Patricia Burke 0 Reputation points
2026-03-03T19:00:42.6933333+00:00

windows is showing yesterdays date and time on all apps. Today is March 4 but it is showing data for March 3

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Settings
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  1. AI answer

    2026-03-03T19:00:56.57+00:00

    Use the built-in time settings first, then check for known Windows time issues.

    1. Fix basic date and time settings
      1. Select Start > Settings > Time & language.
      2. Turn on Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically (if available).
      3. Make sure the Time zone is correct for the location.
      4. If the time is still wrong, turn Set time automatically off, then select Change under Set the date and time manually, and set the correct date (March 4) and current time.
    2. Check that Windows is syncing time correctly
      1. In Time & language, look for Additional clocks or Date, time & regional formatting and open the classic Date and Time control panel if available.
      2. On the Internet Time tab (if present), choose Change settings and make sure it is set to sync with an internet time server, then select Update now.
    3. If the clock keeps reverting to a previous date (for example, always going back to March 3 after restart) This can be caused by the Secure Time Seeding feature using stale SSL time data. a. Force Windows to resync time from NTP
      1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
      2. Run these commands in order: 
              net stop w32time
      w32tm.exe /unregister
      w32tm.exe /register
      net start w32time
      w32tm.exe /resync /force
      3. Confirm the date and time are now correct.
      b. If the problem returns when offline or on a private network, optionally disable Secure Time Seeding

      This changes registry settings; back up the registry first.

      1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
      2. Run: 
              reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config /v UtilizeSslTimeData /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
      3. Restart the PC.
      4. After restart, open Command Prompt as administrator and run: 
              net start w32time
      w32tm.exe /resync /force

    If the displayed time is still off by one hour or one day, also verify that the Time zone and any daylight saving time rules are correct in Settings > Time & language.

    References:

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  2. Sin-D 10,015 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-03-05T04:04:40.2066667+00:00

    Hi Patricia Burke,

    Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A Forum. I understand that Windows 11 is showing yesterday’s date and time across apps even though today is March 4.

    Please make sure you already tried the Q&A Assist steps. In addition, please try the following.

    Before we proceed, I’d like to narrow this down a bit to better understand the scope:

    1. Does the date revert to March 3 after every restart, or only after sleep or shutdown?
    2. Is this device set up with dual‑boot, virtual machine software, or recently had a battery or hardware change?

    In the meantime, you can try these steps:

    1, Temporarily toggle automatic time settings

    • Go to Settings and open Time & language
    • Turn off Set time automatically
    • Restart the PC
    • Turn Set time automatically back on

    2, Restart the Windows Time service from Services

    • Press Windows key + R, type services.msc, and press Enter
    • Locate Windows Time
    • Right‑click and select Restart

    3, Change the Internet time server

    • Press Windows key + R, type timedate.cpl, and press Enter
    • Open the Internet Time tab
    • Select Change settings
    • Change the server to time.nist.gov and select Update now

    4, Check date change behavior after restart

    • Restart the device and immediately sign in
    • Confirm whether the date remains correct before opening any apps

    5, Run system file integrity check

    • Open Command Prompt as administrator
    • Run sfc /scannow
    • Restart the device after completion

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

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  3. Randy Baroja 20,685 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-03-04T03:12:51.98+00:00

    Hi,

    Thanks for getting in touch, and sorry you’re having trouble with the time and date.

    Here’s what you can also do: Restart your PC and hit F2, F10, Del, or Esc to open the BIOS or UEFI menu. Once you’re in, check the system date and time. If it’s still stuck on March 3, but Windows shows March 4, then the BIOS clock’s causing the problem. Just update the date and time there, save your changes, and exit.

    Let me know what happens or if you need a hand with anything else.

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