Windows Clock Showing the Wrong Time? Fix It in the Right Order

The Windows 11 clock is off by hours, or it goes back to the wrong time every time you shut down and start up again.

Why: the clock is usually wrong for one of three reasons — automatic time/time zone is off, the wrong time zone is selected, or (if it resets every shutdown) the small CMOS battery on the motherboard is dead. Work down in order.

Fix 1: Turn on automatic time and sync

1. Open Settings > Time & language > Date & time.
2. Turn Set time automatically On.
3. Click Sync now. The clock should jump to the correct time and the “Last successful time synchronization” line refreshes.

Fix 2: Fix the time zone

A clock that’s wrong by a whole number of hours is almost always a time-zone problem, not a clock problem.

1. In Settings > Time & language > Date & time, turn Set time zone automatically On (this also sets daylight saving automatically).
2. If it stays wrong, turn it Off and pick the correct Time zone from the dropdown manually.
3. Make sure Adjust for daylight saving time automatically is On if your region observes it.

Fix 3: Set the date and time manually

If automatic sync can’t reach a time server right now:

1. In Date & time, turn Set time automatically Off.
2. Click Change next to “Set the date and time.”
3. Enter the correct Date and Time, then click Change.

You can turn automatic time back on later once syncing works again.

Fix 4: If the clock resets every shutdown — replace the CMOS battery

If the time is correct while the PC is on but resets to a wrong date/time on every cold boot, the motherboard’s coin-cell CMOS/RTC battery (usually a CR2032) is flat — it’s what keeps the hardware clock running while the PC is off. Replace it, then re-set the time in the BIOS/UEFI and let Windows sync (Fix 1). On a laptop this often needs a service technician.

FAQ

It’s wrong by exactly an hour. That’s a daylight-saving issue — make sure Adjust for daylight saving time automatically is on, or that Set time zone automatically is on (Fix 2).

It’s wrong by several hours but the minutes are right. That’s the wrong time zone, not a broken clock — fix the time zone (Fix 2).

It only drifts a few minutes over weeks. Normal hardware-clock drift; Set time automatically + Sync now keeps it corrected.

Sources: Microsoft Support — Set time, date, and time zone settings in Windows