To show or hide AM/PM beside the time in the iPad status bar, open Settings > General > Date & Time and change Show AM/PM. On the same screen, 24-Hour Time switches the clock between formats such as 8:00 PM and 20:00. These are separate choices: one controls the status-bar suffix, while the other controls how the hour is written.
The current Apple iPad User Guide lists Show AM/PM for the status bar. Menu availability and appearance can vary with iPadOS version, region, and how much space the status bar has. If you do not see the choice, check your software version before assuming that changing the time zone will solve it.
Show or hide the AM/PM label
- Open Settings on the iPad. This is a system display preference, not a setting inside Clock.
- Tap General, then Date & Time. The screen contains the clock-format controls.
- Find Show AM/PM and turn it on to display the suffix, or off to remove it from the status bar.
- Look at the top of the iPad screen. If the status bar is hidden by a full-screen app, return to the Home Screen or a normal app view to inspect the result.
The switch is reversible. It does not change the actual time, alarm times, or calendar event dates. If you want the time written as 20:00 instead of 8:00 PM, use 24-Hour Time rather than only hiding the AM/PM label.
Switch between 12-hour and 24-hour time
On Settings > General > Date & Time, turn 24-Hour Time on for a clock that runs from 00:00 to 23:59. Turn it off for the 12-hour style. When the 12-hour style is active, the Show AM/PM choice determines whether the status bar displays the suffix. In a 24-hour format, the hour itself usually removes ambiguity, so AM/PM is unnecessary.
For example, 8:00 in the morning is 08:00 in 24-hour format, and 8:00 at night is 20:00. This changes the way the time is displayed; it does not move an event by twelve hours. Check an alarm or Calendar entry afterward if you depend on the display style to interpret scheduled times.
Other Date & Time controls
Show Date adds the date to the status bar on supported layouts. Set Automatically controls whether the iPad sets its date and time from available services. Set Time Zone Automatically controls the time zone; if you turn it off, Apple provides ways to choose a city or offset. These settings address different problems. Do not turn off automatic time merely to remove AM/PM; an incorrect device time can disrupt reminders, authentication, and scheduled events.
If you traveled and the time itself is wrong, check the time zone and location-related settings. If the time is correct but its label is not how you prefer it, change only Show AM/PM or 24-Hour Time. That keeps the clock accurate while changing its presentation. If you also wear an Apple Watch, its format is set separately; see how to use 24-hour time on Apple Watch.
If the switch is missing or you see no change
Check Settings > General > About for the iPadOS version, then compare your Date & Time screen with Apple's current guide. An older release may use different options, and a managed school or work iPad may have restrictions. If the switch is present but the status bar looks unchanged, leave a full-screen app, rotate the iPad if helpful, and inspect the Home Screen. Some app layouts hide the status bar entirely.
If you changed 24-Hour Time, look at an evening hour to see the difference clearly; morning times such as 8:00 can look similar at a glance. If you changed Show AM/PM, do not expect the time zone or alarm list to change. Restarting is generally unnecessary for a display preference, but returning to the Home Screen can make the new status-bar presentation easy to inspect.
Apple's Change the date and time on iPad guide documents both status-bar choices. For another Clock task, see how to delete an alarm on iPad, or to quiet event reminders, see how to turn off calendar notifications on iPad.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are tested on current devices or checked against official product documentation, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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