Change Date & Time preferences on Mac
Use Date & Time System Preferences to set or change the date and time on your Mac. When the date and time are correct, time stamps on emails, messages and files are accurate.
To change these preferences, choose Apple menu 
Open Date & Time preferences for me
Note: If the lock at the bottom left of a pane is locked 
, click it to unlock the preference pane.
Date & Time options
Option | Description | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Set date and time automatically | Select the tickbox to have the date and time on your Mac set automatically using a network time server. Click the pop-up menu, then choose the server that’s closest to you, or type the address of your network time server. If your Mac isn’t connected to the internet, it connects when you choose this option. | ||||||||||
Calendar | To use the calendar to manually set the date on your Mac, deselect the “Set date and time automatically” tickbox, click today’s date on the calendar (or use the up and down arrows next to the date field), then click Save. | ||||||||||
Clock | To use the clock to manually set the time on your Mac, deselect the “Set date and time automatically” tickbox, drag the clock hands to show the correct time (or use the up and down arrows next to the time field), then click Save. | ||||||||||
Time Zone options
Option | Description | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Set time zone automatically using current location | Select the tickbox to have the time zone on your Mac set automatically based on your current location. Note: Location Services must be turned on in order to determine your current location. See Change Privacy preferences. | ||||||||||
Map | To use the map to manually set the time zone on your Mac, deselect the “Set time zone automatically using current location” tickbox, then click a location on the map. The location is confirmed in the Time Zone field; click the Closest City pop-up menu to select a different city, if available. Your changes are applied the next time you restart your computer. | ||||||||||
You can set options to customise how the time and date appear in the menu bar. See Change Dock & Menu Bar preferences.
To choose the formats used to show dates and times in other languages on your Mac, see Change how dates, times and more display on Mac.
Tip: Click the date and time in the menu bar to open Notification Centre. Use Notification Centre on Mac