How to Manually Change the Date and Time on a Mac

Although you may occasionally want to change time zones as you travel, you rarely need to adjust the date and time on your Mac laptop if you select the option to set date and time automatically.

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Changing the Date and Time

If you need to change the date or time for a specific reason, make the adjustments in the Date & Time preferences screen, which you open by clicking the time indicator at the top right corner of your Mac's menu bar.

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Open the Date and Time Preferences Screen

Click on Date and Time to Open a New Window.
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On the time indicator drop-down menu, click Open Date and Time Preferences to get to the Date & Time preferences screen.

You can also click the Preferences icon in the dock and select Date & Time to open the Date & Time preferences screen.

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Adjusting the Time

If the Date & Time screen is locked, click the lock icon in the lower left corner to unlock it and allow changes.

Uncheck the box next to the Set date and time automatically. Click the clock face and drag the hands to change the time, or use the up and down arrows next to the time field above the digital clock face to adjust the time. Change the date by clicking the up and down arrows next to the date field above the calendar.

If you just want to change time zones, click the Time Zone tab and select a time zone from the map.

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Save Your Changes

Click Save to save the changes.
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Clicking Save ensures that the new time you have set is saved until you change the time again.

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Prevent Further Changes

Click the lock to prevent changes.
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Optionally, click the lock icon so no one else can make any further changes, and the adjustments you just made will stay in effect until you need to change the date or time again.