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Windows 11 controls the clock’s 12-hour or 24-hour appearance through its regional time-format settings. The most reliable way to change it is the classic Region dialog—not the Date & time page in Settings.
Change Windows 11 to a 24-hour clock
Use the following format patterns if you want times such as 05:07 and 17:07:
| Setting | Enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Short time | HH:mm |
17:07 |
| Long time | HH:mm:ss |
17:07:42 |
- Open Control Panel. You can search for it from the Start menu.
- Select Clock and Region.
- Under Region, select Change date, time, or number formats.
- Stay on the Formats tab.
- Under Date and time formats, set Short time to
HH:mm. - Set Long time to
HH:mm:ss. - Select Apply, then OK.
The uppercase H specifies a 24-hour clock. Using two H characters adds a leading zero, so 5:07 becomes 05:07.
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Change Windows 11 to a 12-hour clock
For times such as 5:07 PM and 5:07:42 PM, use these patterns:
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| Setting | Enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Short time | h:mm:tt |
5:07 PM |
| Long time | h:mm:ss:tt |
5:07:42 PM |
- Press Windows key + R.
- Type
intl.cpland press Enter. - In the Region window, select the Formats tab.
- Set Short time to
h:mm:tt. - Set Long time to
h:mm:ss:tt. - Select Apply, then OK.
Lowercase h means a 12-hour clock. The tt portion adds the AM or PM designator. Do not use h:mm by itself: without AM or PM, 1 AM and 1 PM would look identical.
Why the Settings app does not show a 12/24-hour switch
The relevant Settings page is Start > Settings > Time & language > Date & time. It controls settings such as:
- Set time automatically
- Set time zone automatically
- Time zone
- Adjust for daylight saving time automatically
Those settings control the accuracy and location of the clock, not whether it displays time in 12-hour or 24-hour format. Changing the time zone or synchronizing the clock will not change its format. Use the classic Region dialog instead.
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Quickest method: open the Region dialog with a command
You do not need to navigate through Control Panel every time. Press Windows key + R, enter:
intl.cplPress Enter, then edit Short time and Long time on the Formats tab.
Should you change the regional format instead?
Windows 11 also includes a regional preset at Settings > Time & language > Language & region, under Regional format. Choosing a different region can switch the default clock convention, but it can also change:
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- Date order, such as day-month-year versus month-day-year
- Decimal and thousands separators
- Currency symbols
- Other number and date conventions
If you only want to change the clock, edit Short time and Long time in intl.cpl. This avoids changing unrelated regional settings.
Short time versus long time
Short time is used for compact displays, including the Windows taskbar clock and other places that show only hours and minutes. Long time is used where Windows or an application requests a full time that can include seconds.
Change both fields. If you change only Short time, some Windows features or applications may continue showing the other clock convention when they use the long-time pattern.
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If the new format does not appear
- Check both patterns. Confirm that Short time and Long time use either the 24-hour pair (
HH:mmandHH:mm:ss) or the 12-hour pair (h:mm:ttandh:mm:ss:tt). - Close and reopen affected applications. Some programs read regional settings only when they start. Close the application completely and launch it again.
- Check the pattern’s capitalization.
HH:mmis 24-hour time;hh:mmis a padded 12-hour hour. A 12-hour pattern also needsttif you want AM/PM shown. - Distinguish format from time-zone problems. If the displayed hour is wrong, check Settings > Time & language > Date & time and verify the time zone. That is separate from the 12/24-hour format.
Outlook and other applications generally use the Windows regional time settings. If Outlook continues showing the old format after the Windows change, restart Outlook rather than looking for a separate system-wide clock-format switch inside Outlook.
Format codes at a glance
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
H |
24-hour hour without a leading zero |
HH |
24-hour hour with a leading zero |
h |
12-hour hour without a leading zero |
hh |
12-hour hour with a leading zero |
mm |
Minutes |
ss |
Seconds |
tt |
AM/PM designator |
FAQ
Where is the 24-hour clock setting in Windows 11?
Open Control Panel > Clock and Region > Change date, time, or number formats. On the Formats tab, set Short time to HH:mm and Long time to HH:mm:ss.
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Open the Region dialog by running intl.cpl. Set Short time to h:mm:tt and Long time to h:mm:ss:tt, then select Apply and OK.
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Will changing the time zone switch between 12-hour and 24-hour time?
No. The time zone changes the clock’s location and displayed hour, while the regional time-format patterns control whether the clock uses 12-hour or 24-hour notation.
Why does Windows still show the old format in an application?
The application may have loaded the old regional settings when it started. Close and reopen it. Also confirm that both Short time and Long time were changed.
Can I change only the taskbar clock format?
Windows uses the Short time regional pattern for compact displays such as the taskbar. However, changing both Short time and Long time is recommended for consistent formatting across Windows and applications.
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The Bottom Line
For a 24-hour clock, run intl.cpl and set Short time to HH:mm and Long time to HH:mm:ss. For a 12-hour clock, use h:mm:tt and h:mm:ss:tt. The Settings app’s Date & time page changes synchronization and time-zone options, not the clock’s display format.
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