Mac showing the wrong time or date? How to fix it

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

Open System Settings, click General and then Date & Time. Switch on Set time and date automatically, and switch on Set time zone automatically using your current location. The Mac then takes the time from a time server on the internet.

A wrong clock is more than a nuisance. Websites show security warnings, iMessage and the App Store refuse to sign in, and files get wrong dates. The automatic setting fixes it in nearly every case.

Menu names are from recent versions of macOS, where the settings app is called System Settings. The picture is our own screenshot from macOS Tahoe 26 on a MacBook Pro.

Step by step

  1. Part of the Mac System Settings window: Open System Settings, General, Date & Time

    Open System Settings, General, Date & Time

    Choose Apple menu, System Settings, click General in the sidebar and click Date & Time.

  2. Switch on Set time and date automatically

    The Mac needs an internet connection to fetch the time. Next to Source, the time server is shown. Apple's server (time.apple.com) is the default. Click Set only if you want to enter another one.

  3. Switch on the automatic time zone

    Turn on Set time zone automatically using your current location. This needs Location Services: System Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services, on, and in the list under System Services, Setting time zone.

  4. If the time zone is still wrong

    Switch the automatic time zone off and choose the nearest city by hand.

  5. Check the 24-hour and region settings

    If the time is right and only looks unusual, for example 14:00 where you expect 2:00 PM, change it in the same place with 24-hour time, or under General, Language & Region.

  6. Restart

    A restart makes the Mac fetch the time again and corrects apps that still show the old one.

Good to know

A Mac that loses the time whenever it has been without power for a while, mostly an older model, has an empty backup battery. That is a job for a repair shop.

In a company network, a firewall may block the time server. Ask your IT support which server to enter.

The same problem on the phone: iPhone showing the wrong time: how to fix the date and time.

Sign-in problems that come from a wrong clock: Messages not working on a Mac: 8 things to check.

In short: System Settings, General, Date & Time, Set time and date automatically, automatic time zone with Location Services, restart.

Sources
  • Apple Support: If the date or time is wrong on your Mac

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