How to Set a 12-Hour Clock in Windows 11 or 10

To set a 12-hour clock in Windows 11, open Settings, go to Time & language > Language & region, expand Regional format, open the format options, and pick a Short time entry that shows AM or PM. The taskbar clock then reads 9:30 PM instead of 21:30.

This changes only how the time is displayed. The actual time, your time zone, alarms and calendar events stay the same. The Region dialog steps follow Microsoft’s instructions for switching between a 12-hour and 24-hour clock and changing Windows regional settings.

Before You Start

• Version: These steps are for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2. The Region dialog method works the same on every version.
• Two formats: Windows keeps a Short time (hours and minutes, used by the taskbar clock) and a Long time (adds seconds). Change both so every part of Windows matches.
• Your account only: The time format is a per-user regional setting. Other accounts on the same PC keep their own format.
• Work or school PCs: An organization can manage regional settings. If the options are unavailable, ask your IT administrator.

How to Change to 12-Hour Time in Settings

This is the shortest route. Settings gives you a list of ready-made formats, each shown as a sample time.

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings. You can also click Start and choose Settings.
2. Click Time & language in the left column, then click Language & region.
3. Under Region, click the Regional format row to expand it.
4. Click Change formats. A list of menus appears, including Short date, Long date, Short time and Long time.
5. Open the Short time menu and pick a sample that ends in AM or PM, such as 9:40 AM. An entry like 09:40 AM does the same thing but adds a leading zero to single-digit hours.
6. Open the Long time menu and pick the matching entry with AM or PM, such as 9:40:07 AM.
7. Close Settings. There is no Save button.

The taskbar clock should switch to 12-hour time as soon as you pick the new Short time. You do not need to restart.

If the time menus are under Date & time

Newer Windows 11 builds move the date and time formats from Language & region to Settings > Time & language > Date & time, where you can also change the AM and PM symbols. Microsoft announced the change in the Windows Insider Blog. If Regional format has no time menus on your PC, open Date & time and use the Short time and Long time menus there.

How to Change to 12-Hour Time in Control Panel

The classic Region dialog is the method Microsoft documents for Windows 11, and it does not depend on which Settings layout you have. It also lets you type a custom format.

1. Press Windows key + R, type intl.cpl, and press Enter. The Region dialog opens. You can also open Control Panel and, under Clock and Region, click Change date, time, or number formats.
2. Stay on the Formats tab and find the Date and time formats section.
3. Open the Short time list and choose h:mm tt.
4. Open the Long time list and choose h:mm:ss tt.
5. Check the Examples area at the bottom of the dialog. Both time samples should now show AM or PM.
6. Click Apply, then OK.

What the time codes mean

The Region dialog shows codes instead of sample times. Microsoft calls them format pictures and lists them in its hour, minute, and second format reference. Letter case matters.

Code	Meaning	Example
h	Hour on a 12-hour clock, no leading zero	9
hh	Hour on a 12-hour clock, with a leading zero	09
H	Hour on a 24-hour clock, no leading zero	21
HH	Hour on a 24-hour clock, with a leading zero	21 (09 in the morning)
mm	Minutes, with a leading zero	05
ss	Seconds, with a leading zero	07
tt	The AM or PM marker	PM

So h:mm tt gives 9:30 PM, hh:mm tt gives 09:30 PM, and HH:mm gives 21:30. A lowercase h without tt is a common mistake: the clock shows 9:30 for both morning and evening.

Type a custom format or change the AM and PM text

1. On the Formats tab of the Region dialog, click Additional settings. The Customize Format dialog opens.
2. Click the Time tab.
3. Type or select the format you want in Short time and Long time.
4. To change the marker text, edit the AM symbol and PM symbol boxes.
5. Click OK to close Customize Format, then OK again to close Region.

Warning: The Reset button in Customize Format restores the defaults for number, currency, time and date formats together. Do not click it if you have customized other formats and only want to undo a time change.

How to Confirm the Change and Undo It

• Taskbar: Look at the clock at the right end of the taskbar. It should show AM or PM.
• Calendar panel: Click the clock to open the calendar panel and check the time shown there.
• File Explorer: Open a folder in Details view. The Date modified column should list times with AM or PM.

To go back to 24-hour time, return to the same menus and pick the Short time and Long time entries without AM or PM, or choose HH:mm and HH:mm:ss in the Region dialog. Our guide on how to set 24-hour time on Windows 11 walks through that direction.

What If Windows Still Shows 24-Hour Time?

• Check Short time first. The taskbar clock follows Short time. If you changed only Long time, the taskbar will not change.
• Check the code. In the Region dialog, the format needs a lowercase h and must include tt. An uppercase H always means 24-hour time.
• No AM/PM entry in the Settings list. Settings offers a fixed list of formats. If none of them shows AM or PM, use the Region dialog, click Additional settings, and type h:mm tt on the Time tab.
• Reopen apps. Apps that were open during the change may keep the old format until they restart. Microsoft notes that you may need to close and reopen an Access database after changing regional settings.
• Check the app’s own setting. Some apps and many websites use their own time format and ignore the Windows one. Outlook is not one of them: Microsoft says its calendar uses your computer’s settings, so fix the format in Windows.
• The format changed back. Choosing a different country in the Regional format menu applies that region’s default date and time formats. Set Short time and Long time again afterward.
• The options are unavailable. On a work or school PC, regional settings may be managed by your organization. That is a question for your IT administrator.

If the clock shows the wrong hour, not just the wrong style, the format is not the cause. Check Set time automatically and your time zone under Settings > Time & language > Date & time. See how to change the date and time in Windows 11 for those steps.

Set a 12-Hour Clock on Windows 10

On Windows 10, open Control Panel, then choose the option to change date, time, or number formats under Clock, Language, and Region (the category name can vary). On the Formats tab, select a Short time and Long time with lowercase h and tt, such as h:mm tt and h:mm:ss tt. Check that the examples show AM or PM, then select Apply > OK and check the taskbar. Microsoft’s clock-format instructions include this Windows 10 route. The Windows 11 Settings layout above is different; the format choice does not change your time zone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Windows 11 clock show 24-hour time?

Windows picks its default time format from your regional format. The United States default is a 12-hour clock, while many other countries and regions default to a 24-hour clock. If your PC was set up with one of those regions, or the regional format was changed later, the clock uses 24-hour time until you choose a Short time entry with AM or PM.

Do I have to change my country or region to get AM and PM?

No. You can keep your current regional format and change only the Short time and Long time entries. Changing the whole regional format would also change your date, number and currency formats.

Can I show seconds on the taskbar clock?

Yes. Microsoft’s time and date settings article says to open Settings > Time & language > Date & time and select Show seconds in system tray clock (uses more power), which sits with the Show time and date in the System tray option. As the label says, this uses more power, which matters on a laptop running on battery.

Can I make the AM and PM labels lowercase?

Yes. In the Region dialog, click Additional settings, open the Time tab, and type the text you want in the AM symbol and PM symbol boxes, such as am and pm.

Will the lock screen and sign-in screen use 12-hour time too?

Not always. Your choice applies to your user account, while the sign-in screen can use the system’s own regional settings. The Region dialog has an Administrative tab with a Copy settings button that copies your current settings to the welcome screen and system accounts. It needs an administrator account, and it copies all of your regional settings, not just the time format.

Can I change the date format the same way?

Yes. The Short date and Long date menus sit next to the time menus in both Settings and the Region dialog. See how to change the date format in Windows 11 to MM/DD/YYYY.

Where is Control Panel in Windows 11?

Click Start, type Control Panel, and select it from the results. For other ways in, see how to open Control Panel in Windows 11.