Date and time formats, while standardized, do ary from region to region. So, the default format that Windows comes with may not be what you are used to.

Thankfully, it is pretty easy to change the date and time formats in Windows. Moreover, you can even define your own.

How to Change Date and Time Format From the Settings App

Changing the date and time format in Windows can be done either through the Settings app or through the Control Panel. While changing the formats is a bit easier with the Settings app, the Control Panel gives you more options.

Let’s see how to change the date and time format through the Setting app first. You’ll find the options inside the Region panel under Time & Language.

  1. Press Windows key + I to bring up the Settings menu.
  2. Go to Time & language > Language & region.
    Change the time and date format through Windows Settings
  3. Click on Regional format and select Change formats. In the Change data formats, you’ll have the option to change the Calendar type, the First day of the week, and options to change the date and time formats.
Change the date and time format on Windows 11

To change the date format, click on Short date and Long date drop-down menus to display the list of available options. Choose any you like.

Windows reflects the date format change in the taskbar (short date) and the expanded date menu when you click the date in the taskbar (long date). Changing the time format follows the same pattern. Click on Short time and Long time to reveal the available formats.

Once again, the Short time is displayed in the taskbar above the date while the Long time is displayed when you expand the date panel from the taskbar.

How to Change Date and Time Formats via the Control Panel

While changing the date and time formats from the Settings app differs slightly between Windows 10 and 11, changing the formats from inside the Control Panel remains almost identical between the two OSes.

  1. First, hit the Win key, type “Control Panel”, and select the appropriate option to launch Control Panel.
  2. Next, under Clock and Region, click change date, time, or number formats to open the Region panel.
  3. In the Region panel, under the Date and time formats section, you’ll find the option to select the Short date, Long date, Short time, Long time, and First day of week from the respective drop-down menus.
    Change the time and date format through Control Panel
  4. As you cycle through different formats, you can see the preview under Examples. Once you are happy with the results, click Apply.

While the pre-available date and time formats in Windows are enough for most people, you can also define your custom formats.

How to Define a Custom Time Format in Windows

You can define a custom time format in Windows through the Region tab in the Control Panel.

  1. Open the Region tab through the Control Panel by following the steps outlined above.
  2. Once in the Region tab, hit Additional settings located at the bottom of the screen. Click Time in the subsequent panel that opens up.
  3. Before we move on to defining our own time format, read the symbol explanations listed at the bottom of the Customize Format panel.
    Define custom time format with Control panel

After you understand what different symbols stand for, changing the time format under Time formats is relatively easy. You can either choose one from the available drop-down menus or define your own in Short time, Long Time, etc. You can even define custom symbols for AM/PM notations.

How to Define a Custom Date Format in Windows

In the Customize Format panel, hit the Date tab to reveal options for tinkering with the date format on Windows.

Define custom date format with Control Panel

Again, read the explanation about what different notations mean in the Date Format section. You can now either set your own format for the date or choose from a set of pre-available ones from Short date and Long date dropdown menus.

Can You Change the Date and Time Format for Multiple Clocks?

If you want to attend an event that takes place in a different time zone, chances are you’ve added multiple clocks to Windows 11. Unfortunately, you can’t have a different date and time format for each clock as you can’t control the clocks’ individual settings.

If you want to have different clocks with different formats, you could head to Microsoft Store and download a clock app. Not only will be able to monitor different time zones, but these apps come with helpful features. Even the Windows 11 clock app can help you be more productive.

Windows' Customization Options Are Practically Endless

Changing the date and time format on Windows is only a drop in the bucket compared to the number of customization options available on the platform. From tweaking the lock screen to using custom desktop icons, you can make Windows look and feel how you want.