Easy Steps To Change Time Zone on Windows 10 – OrcaCore

In this tutorial, we’ll explore how to Adjust or Change Time Zone on Windows 10 automatically and manually. The term time zone can refer to various concepts, but primarily it denotes the local time of a specific region or country.

The local time within a time zone is determined by its offset (difference) from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the globally recognized time standard.

As you likely know, correctly setting the Time Zone is crucial for users relying on Windows services, especially when those services operate on a network or across the Internet. Let’s dive into the steps on how to Change Time Zone on Windows 10.

To adjust the time zone on Windows 10, log in to your Windows Client and follow the instructions below. We will guide you through both automatic and manual time zone adjustment methods.

1. Adjust Time Zone Windows 10 Automatically

To enable Windows 10 to automatically detect and set the correct time zone, follow these steps:

First, search for "Settings" in the Windows search bar and click to open the Settings app.

Next, click on "Time & Language."

Time settings Windows 10 — Settings – Time & Language

Within the Time & Language settings, toggle the "Set time zone automatically" switch to the "On" position.

Once enabled, your time zone will be automatically adjusted based on your current location.

2. Adjust Time Zone Windows 10 Manually

You can manually Change Time Zone on Windows 10 using the Settings app, CMD (Command Prompt), or PowerShell.

Change Time Zone From Settings

Using the Settings app, follow the initial steps as described above. This time, turn off the "Set time zone automatically" switch. Then, use the "Time zone" drop-down menu to select the correct time zone setting for your location.

Note: If you live in a region that observes daylight saving time, ensure that the "Adjust for daylight saving time automatically" switch is enabled.

Change the Time zone From PowerShell

Open PowerShell with administrator privileges by typing "PowerShell" in the Start menu, right-clicking on the PowerShell icon, and selecting "Run as administrator."

To view your current time zone, execute the following command:

Get-TimeZone

**<mark>Example Output
</mark>**Id                         : Pacific Standard Time
DisplayName                : (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
StandardName               : Pacific Standard Time
DaylightName               : Pacific Daylight Time
BaseUtcOffset              : -08:00:00
SupportsDaylightSavingTime : True

To list all available time zones on your Windows 10 system, use the following command:

Get-TimeZone -ListAvailable

After reviewing the list of available time zones and identifying the desired time zone, you can use the Set-TimeZone command to configure your Windows 10 time zone.

For example:

Set-TimeZone -Name “Canada Central Standard Time”

To verify the change, execute the Get-TimeZone command again:

Get-TimeZone

**<mark>Output</mark>**
Id                         : Canada Central Standard Time
DisplayName                : (UTC-06:00) Saskatchewan
StandardName               : Canada Central Standard Time
DaylightName               : Canada Central Daylight Time
BaseUtcOffset              : -06:00:00
SupportsDaylightSavingTime : False

The output confirms that your time zone has been successfully updated.

Change Time Zone From CMD

Open Command Prompt with administrator privileges by typing "Command Prompt" in the Start menu, right-clicking on the Command Prompt icon, and selecting "Run as administrator."

To view your current time zone, execute the following command:

tzutil /g

**<mark>Example Output
</mark>**Canada Central Standard Time

To list all available time zones on your Windows 10 system, use the following command:

tzutil /l

After reviewing the list of available time zones and identifying the desired time zone, execute the following command to set your desired time zone.

For example:

tzutil /s "Line Islands Standard Time"

To verify the change, execute the tzutil /g command again:

tzutil /g

**<mark>Output</mark>**
Line Islands Standard Time

That’s it! You’re done.

Conclusion

The time zone setting on Windows 10 determines the time displayed by your computer based on your geographical location. You have now learned how to Change or Adjust Time Zone Windows 10 automatically and manually. We hope this tutorial has been helpful.

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Alternative Methods to Change Time Zone on Windows 10

While the article covers the most common methods for adjusting the time zone, here are two alternative approaches:

1. Using the Windows Registry Editor

The Windows Registry stores configuration settings for the operating system and applications. You can directly modify the time zone settings within the Registry. However, exercise caution when editing the Registry, as incorrect changes can cause system instability.

Steps:

Open the Registry Editor by typing "regedit" in the Start menu and pressing Enter.
Navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlTimeZoneInformation
In the right pane, you’ll find several values related to the time zone. The key values to look for are TimeZoneKeyName, Bias, DaylightBias, and StandardBias.
To find a list of valid TimeZoneKeyName values, you can refer to the PowerShell command output using Get-TimeZone -ListAvailable.
To change the Time Zone, double-click on the TimeZoneKeyName value and enter the desired time zone ID from the list.
Close Registry Editor. The changes should take effect immediately or after a system restart.

Caveats: This method requires administrative privileges and a good understanding of the Windows Registry. Incorrect modifications can lead to system errors. Backing up the registry before making changes is highly recommended.

2. Using WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) via PowerShell

WMI is a management infrastructure in Windows that allows you to access and manage various system components. You can use WMI via PowerShell to change the time zone. This method is particularly useful for scripting and automating time zone changes across multiple machines.

Explanation:

The Win32_OperatingSystem class in WMI provides a SetTimeZone method that can be used to change the system’s time zone. You need to specify the time zone index as a parameter. This index can be found by enumerating the Win32_TimeZone class.

Code Example:

First, find the index of the desired time zone. This requires two steps:

# Get the TimeZone you want
$TimeZoneID = "Canada Central Standard Time" # Replace with the actual Time Zone ID

# Get the TimeZone object based on the ID
$TimeZone = Get-TimeZone -Id $TimeZoneID

# Use the TimeZone object to get all the TimeZone objects
$WMITimeZones = Get-WmiObject -Namespace rootcimv2 -Class Win32_TimeZone

# Find the index of the TimeZone you want.
$TimeZoneIndex = 0
foreach($WMITimeZone in $WMITimeZones) {
    if ($WMITimeZone.StandardName -eq $TimeZone.StandardName) {
        break # found the Index
    }
    $TimeZoneIndex++
}

Write-Host "Found TimeZone Index: $TimeZoneIndex"

Then, actually change the TimeZone:

# Use the index to change the TimeZone.
$OS = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_OperatingSystem -ComputerName "." -Authentication 6 -ErrorAction Stop
$OS.SetTimeZone($TimeZoneIndex)