Windows 11 How to Display Seconds in the System Clock

For years, Windows users have been able to display seconds in the system clock through right-clicking on the time and choosing Adjust date/time. But this feature has been entirely removed from Windows 11, causing quite a bit of frustration among users who prefer their clock to show seconds as well as hours and minutes. Here’s how to display seconds in the Windows 11 system clock despite Microsoft’s wishes.

 

Time format as hours, minutes, and seconds

Although Microsoft doesn’t want you to know how, it is possible to display seconds in the Windows 11 system clock. To do so, open the Control Panel and go to Clock, Language, and Region. Next, click on Change date and time. Then, under Additional settings, select the Time tab. Check the box next to Show seconds in the system tray clock. Finally, click Apply and then OK. Now you can see how long each minute feels! If for some reason this feature becomes unapparent, simply check the box again and re-apply. In a similar vein, if your computer does not have a system tray clock or if the Show seconds in the system tray clock option is missing from its menu of additional settings, there are still ways to view the timescale of your life.

If you happen to be using Google Chrome as your browser, navigate to Settings > Show Advanced Settings > Privacy > Content Settings > Cookies and site data > Manage Exceptions. There should be an option called Cookies from sites I visit which will allow you to control how long cookies persist by site.

To find out when someone last visited a website, open up Internet Explorer (or Edge) and right-click on any link.

 

NTP Client

If you want to display seconds in the Windows 11 system clock, you’ll need to use a third-party NTP client. We recommend using Meinberg NTP because it’s free, open source, and easy to use. Once you’ve downloaded and installed Meinberg NTP, open the program and click on the Clock tab. Under Options, check the box next to Display seconds. You can also choose how often you want the clock to update by changing the Update interval setting. If you want your changes to take effect immediately, click on the Apply button. That’s all there is to it! Now you can see exactly how long it’s been since your last cup of coffee.

 

Internet Time Protocol

If you want to display seconds in the Windows 11 system clock, you’ll need to use the Internet Time Protocol. This protocol was designed to provide a way to synchronize clocks across the globe. To use it, you’ll need to set your computer’s clock to use an Internet time server. Once you’ve done that, your clock will be able to display seconds. Here’s how to set up the Windows 11 system clock for using the Internet Time Protocol:

1) Open the Control Panel.

2) Click on Network and Sharing Center.

3) Select Change Settings of Your Connection to The Internet on the left-hand side of the window.

4) Select Connections tab on top of window and then click Properties button under Network Tasks column header on right-hand side of window.

 

Setting up an Internet Time Server

1. Right-click on the time in your taskbar and select Adjust date/time.
2. Select the Internet Time tab.
3. Click Change settings.
4. Check the box next to Synchronize with an Internet time server.
5. In the drop-down menu, select a time server from the list or enter a new one.
6. Click Update now and then OK when prompted.
7. The seconds should now be displayed in your system clock! 8. You can check this by hovering over the current time on your taskbar and looking at the pop-up that appears below it.

 

Setting up your computer as an NTP client

1.Open the Start menu and search for Date & Time.

2.Click on Change date and time settings.

3.Under the Clock tab, check the box next to Show seconds.

4.Click on OK to save your changes.

5.Open the Start menu and search for Services.

6.Find and double-click on Windows Time in the list of services.

7.Set the Startup type to Automatic and click on Apply, then click on Start to start the service if it isn’t already running.

 

Testing whether your computer is an NTP client

To test whether your computer is an NTP client, open a command prompt and type w32tm /query /status. This should return the current date and time, as well as when the last synchronization occurred. If your computer is not configured to synchronize with an NTP server, it will say No provider has been configured. If it is configured, it will list the NTP server(s) it is configured to use. These are typically listed as NTPServer xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address of the NTP server). Your computer needs to be set up for one or more of these servers to sync with them via DHCP or some other mechanism (I won’t get into that here).

 

Verifying time zone settings

1. Open the Settings app by pressing Windows+I on your keyboard.
2. Click on Time & Language.
3. On the left side of the window, click Date & time.
4. Under Related settings, click Additional date, time, & regional settings.
5. In the new window that opens, click on Region.
6. Under Additional settings, check the box next to Show seconds in system tray clock.
7. Click OK and then close the Settings app. The clock will show both hours and minutes on the top line, followed by a colon and two digits for minutes in the middle line, followed by a colon and two digits for seconds at the bottom line.
8. If you are not already logged into Windows with administrative privileges, you may need to enter an administrator password or confirm your credentials when prompted before proceeding with this step. 9. Your PC must be connected to the internet in order for this setting to t work. As soon as the changes have been made, Windows should immediately reflect them.