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To change the Windows clock to 24-hour (often called military) time, open Control Panel’s date and time format settings. Set Short time to HH:mm and Long time to HH:mm:ss, then select Apply and OK. The steps work in both Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Change the clock to 24-hour time in Windows 11
- Open Control Panel.
- Under Clock and Region, select Change date, time, or number formats.
- On the Formats tab, set Short time to HH:mm and Long time to HH:mm:ss.
- Select Apply, then OK.
Change the clock to 24-hour time in Windows 10
- Open Control Panel.
- Under Clock, Language, and Region, select Change date, time or number formats.
- On the Formats tab, set Short time to HH:mm and Long time to HH:mm:ss.
- Select Apply, then OK.
The Control Panel category label differs between the two Windows versions, but the time-format tokens are the same. Microsoft’s instructions are available in its 12-hour and 24-hour clock guidance.
What Short time and Long time control
Short time controls the compact hour-and-minute format, such as the time shown in many clock displays. Long time uses a format that includes seconds. Selecting both values ensures both formats use the 24-hour clock where they are displayed.
Seconds are not required for 24-hour time. If you want seconds in the Windows taskbar clock, open Settings → Personalization → Taskbar → Taskbar behaviors and enable Show seconds in system tray clock, if that option is available on your Windows version. Microsoft notes that showing seconds uses more power; see its taskbar customization guidance.
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Switch back to a 12-hour clock
Return to the same Formats tab and set Short time to h:mm:tt and Long time to h:mm:ss:tt. Select Apply and OK. The tt token represents the AM/PM indicator. In a localized Windows installation, surrounding labels may appear in a different language.
If the clock shows the wrong time
The format setting changes how the time is displayed; it does not change the actual time, date, time zone, or daylight-saving behavior. To correct those settings, open Settings → Time & language → Date & time. Microsoft explains these separate controls in its Windows date, time, and time zone guidance.
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Other apps may also use your computer’s regional settings to decide how to display times. Microsoft notes that Outlook uses the computer’s country or region settings for time display.
Windows 10 support status
Microsoft says Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025. A Windows 10 PC will continue to work, but Microsoft recommends moving to Windows 11. The support change does not alter the Control Panel steps for changing the clock’s display format.
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