How to Use Alarms in Windows 11

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By James Namo

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Are you having trouble setting up alarms on Windows 11? If you are, then this how-to-use alarm in Windows 11 article will guide you.

Prerequisite for Using Alarms

To ensure that alarms in Windows 11 function correctly, 2 prerequisites need to be met. First, I’ll be guiding you in the next two sub-sections on how to correctly set Time Zone, Date, and time.

Secondly, you will learn how to disable sleep in Windows 11.

To ensure that you receive notifications in due time, you need to set an accurate time zone. Also, until you disable sleep, you won’t receive notifications or get an alarm. However, if you are confident that your computer satisfies these 2 conditions, skip to the How To Use Alarms And Clock In Windows 11 section of this article.

1. Set Time Zone, Date/Time Correctly

The first step of meeting the conditions for using alarms accurately is checking if your computer has the right Time-Zone. Additionally, you need to check if the Date and Time are correctly set.

To achieve the above, follow the procedures below:

  1. Go to the taskbar, click on the search icon, and search date.
  2. Thereafter, click Date and time settings.
How To Use Alarms In Windows 11 Prerequisite for Using Alarms in Windows 11
  1. When the Date and time settings opens, confirm if Set the time automatically is toggled OFF. Check also that Set Time Zone automatically is OFF.
Supposing that after checking the Set the time automatically and Set Time Zone automatically and they are ON, turn them OFF.
  1. After that, go to Time zone and click the drop-down arrow to select your Time Zone.
  2. For the final step, go to Set the date and time manually and click Change. Thereafter, set the correct time.
How To Use Alarms In Windows 11 Prerequisite for Using Alarms in Windows 11

2. Disable Sleep Settings

For you to receive Windows 11 alarm notifications always, you must disable sleep mode. To disable sleep mode in Windows 11 follow the steps below.

  1. Go to the taskbar, right-click the Start menu and click Settings.
  1. When the Windows Settings opens, select System and click Power & battery. Next, on the Power & battery go to Screen and sleep, and click on the drop-down arrow
  1. Finally, when the Screen and sleep category open, check if all the options are set to Never.

How to Use Alarms and Clock

Having met the two requirements, follow the guides below to use four features of Windows 11 Alarm & Clock.

Firstly, go to the taskbar click the search icon and search for alarms to open Alarms & Clock. Then, follow the steps in each sub-section below to set the different alarm and clock options in Windows 11.

How To Use Alarms And Clock In Windows 11

Option 1: Use Countdown Timer

We will begin with Countdown Timer which is the Windows 11 Alarms & Clock’s first feature. Moreover, you can use this tool to time yourself while completing a task or an activity.

Follow the process below to set up Counter Timer in Windows 11.

  1. Once Alarms & Clocks open, by default the Timer tab is opened timer templates.
  2. To add a new timer, navigate to the bottom right corner, and click Add new timer.
How To Use Alarms And Clock In Windows 11
  1. Once the Add new timer window opens, set up the timer, rename it, and click save.
The two zeros that come first, set the hours, while the last two zeros are to set the seconds. For my morning meditation countdown, I set the timer to 20 minutes as shown in the screenshot below.
  1. For instance, when you are ready for your morning meditation, click the button below the timer. Thereafter, the countdown will start in reverse order down to zero, on reaching zero, you will get a notification alarm.
You can also pause the time if you decide to take a break from your activity. To do that, click the pause button under the timer and hit the button again to continue the timer.
How To Use Alarms And Clock In Windows 11

Option 2: Set Alarms

In this sub-section, I’ll show you how to set up alarms in Windows 11 using the Alarms & Clock features. Follow the steps below to set up alarms in Windows 11.

  1. On the Alarms & Clock window, click Alarm on the left pane. Then, at the bottom right of the window, click Add an alarm.
  1. Once the Add new alarm window opens follow the use of the letters in the screenshot below to set the alarm.

A – Alarm time – when the alarm will ring – the first two digits indicated the hours while the next two are minutes. B – Alarm name – the name that shows when the alarm buzzes – it reminds you of the purpose of the alarm. C – Select the Repeat checkbox for the alarm to ring more than once. Afterward, select the days for the alarm to ring. However, you can place the alarm on repeat by selecting the checkbox.
D – Click the dropdown arrow to pick a ring tone for the alarm. E – Click the dropdown arrow to set the snooze time (the default time is 10 minutes)

  1. When you are done setting up the alarm, click Save and the saved alarm will appear (see the second screenshot).
Make sure to use the 24-hour time format, if your computer uses the 24-hour clock.
How To Use Alarms And Clock In Windows 11
How To Use Alarms And Clock In Windows 11

Option 3: Add Additional World Clocks

To display more clocks on Windows 11, perform the following steps in the World Clock tab.

  1. On the Alarms & Clock window, click World Clock. Then, navigate to the bottom right and click Add new city.
  2. On clicking the Add new city button, a search box will appear at the top of the window.
  1. As soon as you begin typing the name of a city – Windows 11 Alarms & Clock will pop up a suggested list of cities. Then, click on the chosen city to add the clock.

In the screenshot below I added New York, USA.

  1. When you click the city, it will be added as the second clock on the map. Also, you can delete additional clocks by clicking on the pencil icon.
  2. Then, click the delete icon on the additional clock as shown in the second screenshot.

Option 4: Use Stopwatch in Alarms & Clock

Similar to the Countdown Timer, you can use the Stopwatch to time yourself on specific activities. However, unlike the Countdown timer Stopwatch time counts from zero until you stop it, hence the name Stopwatch.

Thus, when you want to use the Stopwatch in Windows 11 Alarm & Clock, select the Stopwatch on the left pane. Then click the start button.

The stopwatch will start counting and continue until the pause button is clicked.

The Stopwatch timer in Windows 11 clearly labels the clock hrs, min, and sec.

Option 5: Change Alarms & Clock Settings

If you want to modify the Alarm & Clock settings, go to the left pane and click Settings on the bottom left. However, on the Settings page, the only adjustable setting available is the App theme.

So, you can set the Alarm & Clock window to appear in dark mode but the change will take effect when next you open the app. Meanwhile, the app’s default is “Use default setting

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is there an alarm in Windows 11?

Yes, Windows 11 has an alarm feature with updated features like the creation of focus timers.

2. How do I locate the Alarms & Clock on Windows 11?

To locate the Alarm & Clock app on Windows 11, follow any of the two methods below.

Method 1: Click the Start menu, on the start menu app list select Alarms & Clocks.
Method 2: Click the search icon on the taskbar and search for alarm.

3. Will the alarm ring if the Windows 11 laptop is sleeping?

The alarm will not work when your PC goes to sleep. That’s why as part of the prerequisite to setting up an alarm, you need to disable sleep mode.

4. How do I add widgets in Windows 11?

To add widgets to Windows 11, do the following:
a) Hold down the Windows key + W to bring up the widget tab or click on the widget icon on the taskbar.
b) When the widget window opens, click and drag the chosen widget to the desired position on the desktop.

5. When was Windows 11 released?

Windows 11 was released on the 5th of October 2021.

Conclusion

Alarms & Clocks have played vital roles in our day-to-day activities. These activities range from waking up in the morning and exercising to activities that require prompt timing.

Having said that, I believe you are now familiar with the prerequisite needed for using alarms in Windows 11. Also, with the steps we’ve provided, you should be able to use the features of the Alarm & Clock app.

These features include the Countdown Timer, addition of World Clocks, Stopwatch, and settings adjustments.

I hope this Windows 11 guide was helpful. If it was helpful to you, click on “Yes” beside the “Was this page helpful” question below.

You may also express your thoughts and opinions by using the “Leave a Comment” form at the bottom of this page.

Finally, visit our Windows 11 How-To page for more Windows 11 guides and fixes.

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About the Author

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James Namo

James Namo is a Technical Writer for Itechguides.com. He has a B.Sc in Computer Science. Aside from writing for Itechguides.com James loves movies, music, cars, and gadgets. In Itechguides.com, he writes gadget buying guides, apps and software reviews, movies, and video games reviews.

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