Earlier this year, Microsoft Explain in detail why Windows 11 does not show seconds in the taskbar clock. The primary concern is largely performance, as periodic activity like displaying seconds prevents the CPU to enter a low power state, so it consumes a lot of CPU resources.
However, there are a lot of power users who want to show seconds in Windows 11 taskbar clock for different reasons. Interestingly, Microsoft is currently testing the ability to show seconds in the taskbar clock on Windows 11, but on Insider builds. Still, if you want to show seconds in system tray clock on Windows 11, follow our detailed guide below.
Show seconds in Windows 11 taskbar clock
We have added four different methods to show seconds in the Windows 11 taskbar clock. Depending on the version of Windows 11 you’re running, choose one of the methods below.
Show seconds in Windows 11 clock via Settings app
If you’re on the Windows Insider Dev Channel (Build 25247 and then), you can view the seconds in the clock in Windows 11 using the Settings app. Microsoft is currently testing this highly sought-after feature in the Insider build, and it’s likely to come with the next stable Windows 11 update. So if you’re already on the Dev channel, here’s how you can view seconds in Windows 11 taskbar clock.
1. To open the Windows Settings app, tap the Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts “Windows + I“.
2. Here, switch to “Personalization in the left sidebar and click “Taskbar” in the right pane.
3. After that, scroll down and expand the “Taskbar Behaviors” section. Now check the box next to “Show seconds in system tray clock“. That’s it.
4. You can now see the seconds in the system tray clock in Windows 11.
5. If you don’t want to show seconds in the taskbar clock in Windows 11, disable checkbox in the Settings app.
Show seconds in Windows 11 taskbar clock using registry
For most users who are on old stable versions of Windows 11 (before 22000.376), they can modify a registry value to show the seconds in the Windows 11 taskbar clock. By the way, this method was blocked on Windows 11 22H2 and newer, so if you’re on a stable 2023 release, the instructions will not work. You either need to switch to the dev channel or use a third-party app mentioned in the last section. As for this method, here’s how to go about it.
1. Click the “Search” button on the taskbar and search for “registry”. Now open the “Registry Editor” in the search result.
2. Next, paste the path below in the registry address bar. This will take you directly to the “Advanced” key.
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
3. Once you are here, scroll down in the right pane and find the “DisplaySecondsInSystemClock” hall. Double-click to open it.
4. Now, change the “Value data” to 1 and click “OK”. This will ensure that the Windows 11 taskbar clock starts showing seconds along with hours and minutes.
5. Now close Registry Editor and restart your computer. This should activate the seconds in the Windows 11 taskbar clock.
6. If you wish Discard changes set the “Value data” to 0 for “ShowSecondsInSystemClock” and restart your computer.
Show seconds in Windows 11 taskbar clock using PowerShell
You can also view the seconds in the system tray clock in Windows 11 using PowerShell. It basically does the registry trick, but just with a single command. It will save you a lot of time and hassle, and it also only works on older versions. Here are the steps to follow.
1. Click “Search” on the taskbar and search for “powershell“. Under “Windows PowerShell” in the search results, click the “Run as administrator” option in the right pane.
2. Next, run the command below and press Enter. This will change the value of “ShowSecondsInSystemClock” to 1.
Set-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced -Name ShowSecondsInSystemClock -Value 1 -Force
3. Now go ahead and restart your pc. And that’s all! The taskbar clock in Windows 11 show seconds.
4. If you want to disable the seconds in the clock, run the below command in powershell and restart your Windows 11 PC. You are done.
Set-ItemProperty -Path HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced -Name ShowSecondsInSystemClock -Value 0 -Force
Show seconds in Windows 11 clock using ElevenClock app
Lastly, if the above methods don’t work on your PC, you can always use a third-party application to customize things to your preference. An app called ElevenClock lets you choose different formats for system tray clock, including the ability to display seconds. Here’s how the app works:
1. Go ahead and download ElevenClock from the Microsoft Store (Free) or his GitHub page.
2. Next, install the ElevenClock app. Open the start menu and click on “Clock settings“.
3. Here scroll down and expand the “Date and time settings” section.
4. Now activate the “Show seconds on the clock“, and you’re done.
5. You should now see a new clock with seconds in Windows 11 taskbar.
6. If you no longer want to use ElevenClock, press “Windows + R” and type appwiz.cpl and press Enter. You can quickly access Windows 11’s Programs and Features section of the Control Panel.
7. Now go ahead and search for “ElevenClock”. Then right-click on the app name and uninstall this.
In the modern digital age, staying connected with friends, family, Read more
YouTube is currently the world's largest search engine after Google, Read more
