Changing the system date and time on a computer can be accomplished in several different ways depending on the operating system that is being used. Generally, it is possible to change the date and time using the graphical user interface (GUI) provided by the operating system, using the command line, or using the BIOS setup menu. Here are instructions for each of these approaches.
Using the Operating System GUI
1. On Windows:
• Click on the time and date displayed on the taskbar at the bottom right of the screen
• Click ‘Change date and time settings’
• Select the ‘Date and Time’ tab
• Click on the ‘Change date and time…’ button
• Adjust the date and time as desired
• Click ‘OK’ to finish
On macOS:
• Click the clock display on the menu bar
• Click ‘Open Date & Time Preferences…’
• Select the ‘Date & Time’ tab
• Click on the ‘Set date & time automatically’ checkbox to enable it if needed
• Adjust the date and time as desired
• Click ‘OK’ to finish
On Linux:
• Right-click on the clock display on the panel at the top of the screen
• Select ‘Time & Date Settings…’ from the drop-down menu
• Select the ‘Time & Date’ tab
• Adjust the date and time as desired
• Click ‘OK’ to finish
Using the Command Line
On Windows:
• Open the Command Prompt
• Type in the following command, with the relevant date and time, in the format ‘yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss’: date /t
• For example, to change the date to 20th April 2020 and time to 5:45pm: date /t 2020-04-20 17:45:00
On macOS:
• Open the Terminal app
• Type in the following command, with the relevant date and time, in the format ‘yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss’: sudo date
• For example, to change the date to 20th April 2020 and time to 5:45pm: sudo date 2020-04-20 17:45:00
On Linux:
• Open the terminal
• Type in the following command, with the relevant date and time, in the format ‘yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss’: sudo date –set=”
• For example, to change the date to 20th April 2020 and time to 5:45pm: sudo date –set=”2020-04-20 17:45:00″
Using the BIOS Setup Menu
The BIOS is a component of many computers that allows low-level access to the hardware and can also be used to set the date and time.
1. Reboot the computer and press the key indicated when prompted while the computer is booting up
• Common keys include ‘F2’, ‘F10’, ‘Delete’, and ‘Esc’
• If a specific key isn’t indicated, continue pressing all the keys in turn
2. Navigate to the ‘Date and Time’ section in the BIOS Setup Menu
• Different BIOSes vary in layout, but scrolling up and down to find the relevant option is usually the easiest way to do this
3. Set the date and time as desired
• This may involve pressing the + or – keys to adjust values or using the arrow keys to highlight an option and then adjusting its value with the + or – keys
4. Save settings and exit
• This may require pressing the ‘F10’ key, followed by the ‘Enter’ key, or another combination of keys such as ‘Ctrl+X’ or ‘Alt+Y’
The date and time should now be changed on the computer. It is important to note that setting the date and time through the BIOS is generally not necessary unless the computer is having trouble keeping track of the correct date and time.