OneDrive Timestamp Mismatch – Time Zone Issue

Question

We have identified an issue with OneDrive where the data timestamps are being displayed in UTC-8.

Please note that the regional settings are correctly configured to (UTC+04:00) Port Louis; however, the timestamps do not reflect this configuration and appear to be misaligned.

Answer 1

Hello @Shakti Jany, 

Good day! I hope you are doing well. 

Based on your description, I understand that your OneDrive timestamps are displaying in UTC‑8, even though your regional settings are correctly configured to (UTC+04:00) Port Louis.  

To help us provide the most accurate and effective solution for your timestamp mismatch, could you share a bit more detail about your setup: 

• Have you reviewed your Microsoft 365 account regional/time zone settings via https://myaccount.microsoft.com/settingsandprivacy/language?  
• Do you notice the same timestamp issue in Teams, Outlook, or SharePoint? 
• Is (UTC+04:00) Port Louis that correctly configured your OneDrive Regional Settings? 
• Is the same regional and time zone setting also configured on your local device?  
• Does the issue affect all users, or is it limited to specific individuals? 
• Are the affected users all using the same operating system, and are they syncing OneDrive to a local device using the OneDrive Sync Client? 

This additional context will help us understand your environment and the steps already taken so we can tailor the guidance to resolve the issue effectively. 

I apologize if I could not jump straight to a solution. I want to avoid suggesting anything that might be inaccurate or unhelpful. Once we have the details above, we’ll be able to assist you more effectively and guide you toward the right resolution. 

Looking forward to your response so we can get this sorted out for you together.

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Answer 2

In Microsoft 365 services, including OneDrive reporting surfaces, timestamps are commonly stored and displayed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), regardless of local regional settings. For example, in the OneDrive Sync health dashboard, both Last synced timestamp (UTC) and Last status reported timestamp (UTC) are explicitly shown in UTC and not converted to the user’s configured time zone.

This behavior explains why timestamps appear offset (for example, as if they were in UTC-8) even though regional settings are configured to (UTC+04:00) Port Louis. The underlying data is recorded in UTC, and certain admin/reporting views do not automatically adjust to the client or regional time zone.

To interpret the values correctly, convert the displayed UTC timestamps to the desired local time by applying the appropriate offset (for Port Louis, add 4 hours to UTC, taking into account any DST rules if applicable). Where an interface explicitly labels a column as “(UTC)”, it is working as designed and will not follow the regional time zone setting.

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References:

• OneDrive sync reports in the Apps Admin Center