How to Adjust Your Time Zone in Gmail

Update your settings if your email times are off

Clock faces showing times in major world cities
Oliver Cleve / Getty Images
by Heinz Tschabitscher
An independent writer who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
Updated July 12, 2019

If the email messages you receive in Gmail seem to come from the future or the past, or your recipients are wondering what you're doing writing messages at 2:00 AM, you can easily change your Gmail time zone.

You should also check your operating system's time zone (and Daylight Saving Time options) to ensure that the computer's clock is correct.

Adjust Your Gmail Time Zone

  1. The time zone settings for Gmail are accessed through Google Calendar, which you can open through Gmail. First, open Gmail.

  2. In the upper-right corner, select the Google menu (dot grid icon) and choose Calendar (you may need to select More at the bottom of the menu window to find it).

    Gmail with Google menu displayed

  3. In the upper-right portion of Google Calendar, select Settings (gear icon). From the menu, choose Settings.

    Settings submenu in Google Calendar's Gear icon

  4. In the left rail, if the General menu isn't already displayed, select General. Under General, choose Time zone. In the main display area, under Time zone, select Primary time zone. From the menu, choose the correct time zone.

    Time Zone drop down menu, highlighting Alaska Time - Anchorage in Google Calendar Settings

  5. Settings are saved automatically and should be applied in Gmail.