How to Fix Windows Time Not Updating

I myself have had this issue where my PC didn’t have the correct time.

Furthermore, I was working at a clients and about 10 of the PCs suffered from the same issue, Windows had the wrong time.

I went into the Date & Time dialog and tried using the ‘Sync now‘ button and it never did anything. Reboot, nothing! Change Time zones, and then back again, nothing!

Some weird bug at work here! Some PCs were fine, yet others were not, with the exact same settings on the same network … 🤷

So, what’s the fix?

For me, it was to change the ‘Internet time server‘.

by default, Windows appears to use ‘time.windows.com’.  By changing to any other server resolved the issue for me.

You can consult:

List of Top Public Time Servers
List of Top Public Time Servers. GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets.
NTP Server: Free Public Internet Time Servers | TimeTools
There are a large number of public NTP time servers across the Internet. Here we provide insight into network time servers and synchronization best practice.

or Google to find other website which provide a multitude of alternative time servers you can use instead of the default one provided by Microsoft.

Steps To Follow To Change The Internet Time Server

  1. Go into the Date & Time settings dialog.
  2. Click on Date, time & regional formatting (upper right-hand side)
  3. Click on Additional date, time & regional settings (upper right-hand side)
  4. Click on Set the time and date
  5. Click on the Internet Time tab
  6. Click on the Change settings … button
  7. Replace the existing entry in the ‘Server‘ combo box with the new server to use. (from one of the links provided above, or another source)
  8. Click on the Update now button and wait a moment while Windows synchronizes with the server.
Server Selection Tip
It is always a good idea to select/use a server located in the same geographical area as where you are located.

For example, I am in Canada (North America), so I should be using a Server from the USA or Canada (preferably).  Ideally, on the East coast in my specific case.

And that’s it, that simple switch resolved my problem in every instance (so far at least, fingers crossed!!!). Hopefully, this will help someone else out there.

 

Side note, if Windows does get the correct time when you use the Synch now button, but when you turn off your PC for a while and restart it Windows displays the wrong date/time, then you need to look at replacing your BIOS battery most probably.  This involves opening the PC chasis, so you may need a technician’s assistance with this (5 minute job at the most).