Change the date and time format in Word

Question

Hey everyone,

With the shortcuts ALT + SHIFT + D or ALT + SHIFT + T you can insert the current time and date in Word. So far so good, but unfortunately the American time format is displayed with 2x12h and this is also translated to german.

But i do wanna get the time format which is used in europe with e.g. 4:50pm = 16:50 in Europe. How can i change it to default.

Unfortunately, even through googling, I didn't come across any solution that would help me directly.

I have also attached a screenshot to better illustrate my question or concern.

Would appreciate any help or tips.

Thank you and best regards

Answer 1

Hey everyone,

With the shortcuts ALT + SHIFT + D or ALT + SHIFT + T you can insert the current time and date in Word. So far so good, but unfortunately the American time format is displayed with 2x12h and this is also translated to german.

But i do wanna get the time format which is used in europe with e.g. 4:50pm = 16:50 in Europe. How can i change it to default.

Unfortunately, even through googling, I didn't come across any solution that would help me directly.

I have also attached a screenshot to better illustrate my question or concern.

Would appreciate any help or tips.

Thank you and best regards

1.

This works for me:-

INSERT tab

Text group

Click on the drop down arrow to the right of:-

Quick Parts

 - then click on:-

Field . . .

The window called:-

Field

 - should open.

2. (a)

In the window called:-

Field

 - and in its field called:-

Field names:

 - click on:-

Date

 - (see screen shot below).

2. (b)

You can then in the field called:-

Date formats:

 - choose what you want.

You don’t say whether or not you wish to update the date / time automatically. In your version:-

Insert today's date in a Word document - Word for Microsoft 365

Insert tab

Text group

Date and Time window

 - (see above hyperlink) make sure you either tick / remove the tick from the field called:-

Update automatically

Does that answer your question?

Answer 2

According to the documentation of the TIME field,

The Time field inserts the current time in your document. Unless you specify a date-time picture switch, the time is displayed in the format specified as part of the regional settings in Microsoft Windows Control Panel.

However, the Alt+Shift+T shortcut always inserts a TIME field with a picture format -- the one that specifies the 12-hour AM/PM format -- and that can't be changed.

If you don't want to use the Field dialog as trip_to_tokyo described to choose a picture format (which is cumbersome for frequent use), you can create an AutoCorrect entry to insert the proper format:

• Press Alt+Shift+T to insert the "wrong" TIME field.
• Right-click the field and click Toggle Field Codes. You'll see this:  { TIME @ "h:mm am/pm" }
• Delete the "am/pm" part and the space that precedes it.
• Replace the lower case h with an upper case H. The field codes should now look like  { TIME @ "H:mm }
• Press F9 to update the field. It will now appear in the correct format.
• Select the field.
• Go to File > Options > Proofing and click the AutoCorrect Options button.
• The selected time will appear in the "With" box in the middle of the dialog, but the "Plain text" option button above it will be activated. Click the "Formatted text" option instead.
• Click in the "Replace" box and enter something that will act as a trigger for the AutoCorrect. I suggest starting with a backslash to prevent an accidental replacement of ordinary text. In English I would use \t for "time", or you may prefer \z for "zeit".
• Click the Add button so the new entry appears in the list, and click OK to close the dialog.

When you want to insert a time in a document, just type the trigger you defined and continue typing. The trigger will be replaced immediately by the result of the TIME field with the corrected picture format.