How to Change the Clock To Military Time in Windows
Most people probably don’t care, but the default time display in Windows is 12 hour format, not military time. However, for all of the people who routinely tell time using the military time format, being able to change it on their computers can prove to be very useful.
You would think it would be super easy to change the clock in Windows to military time, but it’s not! The procedure is also different depending on which version of Windows you are using. In this article, I’ll walk you through the steps to change your Windows XP, 7, 8, or 10 PC time to military format.
Windows XP Time Format
First open theControl Paneland then openRegional and Language Options. If you don’t see the icons, click theSwitch to Classic Viewlink at the top left.
Next click on theCustomizebutton on theRegional Optionstab.
Click on theTimetab and choose any of the options with the upper caseH. Lower casehmeans 12 hour format and upper caseHmeans 24 hour format.
Now click OK until you are back to the Control Panel. Not a very straightforward process at all. It would make much more sense to put the option in theDate and Time Propertiesdialog when you double click on the time in your system tray.
Microsoft has kind of done this in Windows 7 and higher, but it takes quite a few clicks to get it done. Ironically, it’s faster to use the Control Panel in Windows 7 and higher. I explain the steps below for later versions of Windows.
Windows 7, 8 & 10 Time Format
In Windows 7, open the Control Panel and click onRegion and Language. In Windows 8 and Windows 10, it’s just calledRegion. If you are inCategoryview, switch toSmallorLargeicons at the top right.
Now in Windows 7 and higher, theFormatstab is front and center and you can change the time format from theShort timeandLong timedropdowns.
Again, the capital H is military time. In order for the change to appear in the time shown in the taskbar, you have to change theLong timeformat. I’m not sure where theShort timeformat is used in Windows, but you can change that too in order to keep everything consistent.
The other way to go about this in Windows 7, 8, and 10 is to click on the date and time in the taskbar and then clickChange date and time settings.
A new dialog will appear and at the top you have to click theChange date and timebutton.
Another dialog will pop up where you can actually adjust the date and time manually. Here you have to click on theChange calendar settingslink.
Finally, this will bring upCustomize Formatdialog, where you have to click on theTimetab. This is a really long way to get to the same dialog that you can get to in one click from the Control Panel.
That’s about all there is to changing the time to military format in Windows. If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment. Enjoy!
Founder of Help Desk Geek and managing editor. He began blogging in 2007 and quit his job in 2010 to blog full-time. He has over 15 years of industry experience in IT and holds several technical certifications.Read Aseem’s Full Bio
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