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This article shows you how to Change the Date and Time on a Mac. We don’t usually think about the date and time on our Macs. Most people leave their Macs on the automatic setting by default, so we don’t usually worry about it. But you might need to do this in some situations.
You can change it in the Time and Date section of your desktop settings, but some people may want to use Mac Terminal instead. When you open an app or service on your Mac, like Mail or Finder, you’ll see dates, times, numbers, and currencies in a certain way. But maybe you don’t like how the time is shown or would rather see numbers in a different way.
You might not know this, but you can change your Mac shows the date, time, numbers, and currencies. This tutorial will show you exactly how to do that. If you’ve tried all of these solutions and you’re still having the same problem in your Device, you should go to their official Mac support website for more information.
Ways to Change the Date and Time on a Mac
Use an Alternate Server
When you choose to have the date and time set automatically, macOS should get the right information from an Apple server. Most of the time, the results are correct. But server problems or misunderstandings can sometimes cause your Mac to show wrong information.
When this happens, you don’t have to rely on Apple to tell you the correct date and time. Instead, you can try adding different servers and see if the results are different. Here’s how to change the server for the date and time in macOS:
- Go to System Preferences > Date & Time.
- Ensure that Set date and time automatically is ticked and unlock the Security Padlock.
- Delete the current entry and enter a new time server.
Choose to Automatically Set the Date and Time in the Preferences
If you’re new to macOS, you might not know where to go to change the date and time on your Mac. If that’s the case, all you might have to do to fix the date and time is change this setting in System Preferences. Just do these things:
- Open the Apple menu and go to System Preferences.
- Select Date & Time.
- Click the Security Padlock and enter your administrator’s password to unlock changes.
- Enable the option to Set Date and Time automatically.
Enable Location Services
Using Location Services is one of the easiest and most effective ways to set the correct date, time, and time zone automatically. If the feature is turned on and the information is correct, macOS should change settings to match where you are in the world. Even seasonal changes in your time zone, like Daylight Saving Time, will be taken into account. Here’s how to set the time and date based on where you are:
- Go to System Preferences > Date & Time > Time Zone.
- Unlock the Security Padlock.
- Tick Set time zone automatically using current location.
If macOS shows a message that says “Turn on Location Services to find out where you are right now,” you can do just that by doing the following:
- Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy.
- Select Location Services in the side menu and unlock the Security Padlock.
- Ensure that Enable Location Services is ticked.
- Scroll down to System Services and click Details.
- Ensure that Time Zone & System Customization is ticked.
FAQ
Why can’t I change the date and time on my Mac?
“Time zone and system customization” should be turned on. Open the Date & Time settings and make sure that both the “Automatically set time and date” and “Automatically set time zone” options are turned on.
How do I change the date and time on my Mac in recovery mode?
When you restart your Apple computer, hold down the Command and R keys until you see an Apple logo or a spinning globe. Stop the installation process while in Recovery mode. Go to Utilities, open the Terminal app, and type Date to see the current date.