Cloud Computing and Edge Computing
How can I switch the time between 24 hour and 12 hour?John Savill | Mar 04, 1999
A. A. There are 2 ways to configure this.
The first is using the Regional Control Panel applet
- Start the Regional control panel applet (start - settings - control panel - regional settings)
- Select the time tab
- HH in capitals means 24 hour, hh (lowercase) means 12 hours
- Click Apply then OK
The second is to directly edit the registry
- Start the registry editor (regedit.exe)
- Move to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\International
- From the Edit menu select New - String
- Enter a name of iTime
- Double click and set to 0 for 12 hours and 1 for 24 hours. Click OK
- Close the registry editor
- Logoff and on again
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Some people prefer reading digital clocks in the 24-hour “military” format. However, a lot of people instead prefer 12-hour clocks. Windows 10 defaults to using the 24-hour format. This guide will cover how to change the clock to use the 12-hour format.
You can configure the time format settings in the Settings app. The easiest way to get to the right page is to right-click on the clock in the taskbar and then click “Adjust date/time”. This option will be near the top of the drop-down box.
This will open the Settings app on the “Data & time” page. Here you can set what time zone you’re in, but annoyingly you can’t choose between the 12- and 24-hour clocks. To get to the right page, you can click “Date, time & regional formatting” under “Related settings” in the top right. Alternatively, you can click on the “Region” tab. Both will take you to the same place.
In the Region settings, click the link at the bottom of the page, “Change data formats”.
Here you can change the short and the long time displays to be in the 12-hour format. To do so, click on their respective drop-down boxes and select the short format you prefer. The clock options are the 24-hour and 12-hour clocks, both with and without leading 0’s.
By default, the Windows 11 or Windows 10 Clock is set at the 12-hour format, which has been the case since its inception. Most users are quite content with the default setting henceforth; they do not need to make any changes. However, for those who prefer to have the 24-hour format clock on your taskbar, you may be wondering if it is possible to get what you want. Additionally, some users might be seeing the 24-hour clock but prefer the 12-hour instead.
How to change 24-hour clock to 12-hour in Windows 11/10
The big question right now, then, is how do we switch between the two formats. Well, there are two ways to do this – using Settings or the ControlPanel. Whichever option you choose to go with, the results will always be the same.
Windows 10
- Open the Windows 10 Settings app
- Select Time and Language settings
- Go to Date & Time section
- Click on Date, time, and regional formatting link
- Click on Change date formats link
- Change the Date format from 12-hour to 24-hour
Let us discuss this from a more detailed perspective.
If your computer is indicating time in 24 Hour Format, you can find below the steps to Change 24 Hour Clock to 12 Hour Clock in Windows 10.
Change 24 Hour Clock to 12 Hour Clock in Windows 10
While most people are used to 12-Hour Clock Time Format, 24-hour clock time is used in computers, military, Airlines, railways, public safety, and public transport.
A 24-hour clock format basically shows the passing of 24 hours in a day, running from midnight to midnight, without dividing the day into AM and PM parts.
While computers run on 24 hour clocks, Windows 10 provides the option to show time in both 24 hour and 12 hour formats.
1. Change 24 Hour Clock to 12 Hour Using Settings
The easiest way to change the time format on your computer from 24 to 12 hours is by going to “Time and Language” Settings on your computer.
1. Go to Settings > Time and Language > Select Region in the left pane. In the right-pane, scroll down and click on Change Data Formats link, located under ‘Regional Format Data’ section.
2. On the next screen, use the Down-Arrow to select time with AM/PM suffix for both Long Time and Short Time.
The change in the time format will be immediate and you should now find your computer displaying the time in 12 Hour format, with AM/PM suffix.
2. Change 12 Hour Clock to 24 Hour Clock
As you must have noticed, Airlines and Railways report Arrivals and Departures in 24 hour format. Hence, you may find it useful to switch your computer from 12 Hour Clock to 24 Hour clock while travelling.
1. Go to Settings > Time and Language > select Region in the left pane. In the right-pane, scroll down and click on Change Data Formats link.
2. On the next screen, use the Down-Arrow to select time without AM/PM suffix for both Long Time and Short Time.
The change in the time format will be immediate and you should now find your computer displaying the time in 24 Hour format, without AM/PM suffix.
What is Short and Long Time in Windows 10?
Windows 10 displays the Date and Time at two locations on your computer. The first location of time can be found at the bottom right corner of your screen.
This location, which is the most visible location of time on a computer is known as the Short Time.
The second clock (Long Time) is hidden on Windows 10 Calendar and can only be accessed by clicking on the first location.
Hope this has helped you in changing the time format on your computer from 12 to 24 hours or from 24 to 12 hours, as required.