Email date and time

Question

The time and date when I receive emails is incorrect

How do I fix this.

Answer 1

Hello Mark Stevens,

Thank you for posting to the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

I understand how important it is to have accurate timestamps on your emails, especially when keeping track of time-sensitive communications. 

This scenario usually occurs when there is a synchronization mismatch between the time zone set on your physical device's clock and the internal time zone configured within your email account's cloud server. 

• To ensure I provide the exact instructions for your specific setup, could you please clarify which version of the email client you are using? (For example: Classic Outlook for Windows, the New Outlook app, Outlook on the Web, or a mobile app like Apple Mail/Outlook for iOS). 

In the meantime, the most common cause of this behavior stems from the web server settings. You can check and correct this immediately by following these steps: 

Step 1: Check your Outlook Web Time Zone 

1. Open a web browser and log in directly to your email at outlook.live.com (or outlook.office.com if it is a work account). 
2. Click the Gear icon (Settings) in the top right corner. 
3. Go to General > Language and time. 
4. Verify that the "Time zone" dropdown is set to your correct current physical location, and click Save if you make any changes. 

Step 2: Verify your Device System Time 

1. On your Windows PC, right-click the clock in the bottom right corner of your taskbar. 
2. Select Adjust date and time. 
3. Ensure that "Set time zone automatically" is turned on, or manually select the correct time zone from the dropdown menu. 
4. Click the Sync now button to force your computer to match the global time server. 

I hope these steps provide some immediate relief and guidance while we narrow down the specific application you are using. Please feel free to reach back out with those details if you need further assistance! 

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Answer 2

Incorrect email date and time in Outlook on the web is usually caused by a time zone mismatch between the mailbox/server and the region settings.

Use these steps to fix it:

1. Check and set the correct time zone in Outlook on the web (OWA)
   • Sign in to Outlook on the web.
   • For Exchange Server 2013:
     1. Select Settings (gear icon).
     2. Select Options.
     3. Select Settings.
     4. Select Regional.
     5. Under Current time zone, choose the correct time zone and save.
   • For Exchange Server 2010:
     1. Select Options > See All Options.
     2. Select Settings.
     3. Select Regional.
     4. Under Current time zone, choose the correct time zone and save.
   • For Exchange Server 2007:
     1. Select Options.
     2. Select Regional Settings.
     3. In Current time zone, choose the correct time zone and save.
2. If in a region that does not use daylight saving time (DST)
   • The issue can occur when:
     • The user is in a region that does not follow DST, and
     • The Exchange Server is in a region that does follow DST.
   • In this case, the Exchange administrator should set the server’s time zone to a region whose Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) offset matches the server’s location and does not follow DST.
3. If Outlook desktop search by date looks wrong (optional check)
   • If using the Outlook desktop app with an on-premises Exchange mailbox and date-based searches (for example, received:01/20/2023) return messages from the wrong day, run the search via Advanced Search instead of typing the date filter directly:
     1. Select the Outlook search box, then select the down arrow to open Advanced Search.
     2. Set Received or Sent date ranges using the calendar pickers.
     3. Select Search.
   • Advanced Search includes the correct time zone in the query.

If the problem persists after correcting the time zone in Outlook on the web and (if applicable) on the server, verify the device’s operating system time and time zone settings as well.

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References:

• The "Sent" time stamp on email messages is incorrect in Outlook on the web
• Incorrect search results when using a date filter in the Outlook search bar