Windows 8: Fix Incorrect System Time

Joe in Arizona, for many years a subscriber to Infopackets, recently sent us this question about Windows 8:

"Hi there,

I recently signed on to my Windows 8 computer and found the system time to be off by an hour. I'm based in Arizona, where we use Mountain Time but not daylight saving time.

How can I get my system to properly update the time?

Thanks for your help,

Joe G."

My Response:

Thanks for bringing this issue to our attention, Joe. It turns out many users are having much the same kind of problem.

Synchronizing with a Time Server

Windows 8 is set up to get its time from an Internet-connected "time server." If you select the wrong one, or none at all, your computer could lose track of the correct time.

Sometimes the problem will persist even after Windows 8 users manually set their computer's time zone and correctly enter all the relevant information.

Fortunately, there's a fairly straightforward solution.

First, right click on the clock icon in the bottom right corner of your Windows 8 screen.

When the options menu pops up, select 'Adjust date / time.'

A new window will then appear. Click on the 'Internet Time' tab and then click 'Change settings.'

From the next screen you can select the option 'Synchronize with an Internet time server.'

Once the drop-down menu appears you will can select the option 'time.windows.com.' After that's complete, simply tell the system to 'Update now.'

Your Windows 8 system time should now be correctly displayed. Even better, your system will now update the time automatically as Daylight Savings Time comes and goes.

Mountain Time vs. Arizona Time

Of course, Arizona doesn't use Daylight Savings Time.

If you've selected 'Mountain Time (US & Canada)' and have disabled daylight saving time by unchecking that option, your system clock may continue to be wrong by one hour. In some cases, the system time may be correct but the time displayed by Windows 8 applications will be incorrect.

To have your system display the accurate time, be more specific when selecting your computer's time zone. You, Joe, must select 'Arizona' as your time zone, which should overcome this minor but annoying issue. People living in other areas must make the choice that best reflects where they live.